. – by Grant Bailey
Millions of Brits are ‘overwhelmed’ by mounting work pressures, busy social calendars and financial worries, a study has found.
Research revealed two thirds feel a constant sense of dread caused by the stress of their day-to-day lives.
More than six out of 10 admitted struggling to keep their life organised with everything they have going on.
Work is the most common source of stress in daily life, followed by money, finance woes and family issues.
However, the biggest drain on time is dealing with life and general admin such as household chores and other necessities.
Greg Tatton-brown from online casino Casumo.com, which commissioned the study, said: “Some people are driven by pressure, while others are caught up in an ever-growing to-do list which can seem unending.
“As our lifestyles become busier we will spend more of our lives on the go with less downtime, so it’s important to be able to stay organised wherever you are, and make time for the fun things in life whenever you can”.
The study of 2,000 workers found the UK is a nation with its nose to the grindstone, with 22 per cent struggling with the ‘overtime’ they have to put in at the office.
Forty six per cent wish they could reduce the amount of time they spend ticking off mundane life admin tasks and chores.
And 17 per cent even believe their phones have become a drain on their time, distracting them from the more important things in their lives.
Seven in 10 think their lives have become just ‘too busy’ in recent years, and feel the need to scale back to make time for themselves.
As a way to de-stress when things get too manic, 36 per cent put time aside to indulge in a luxurious bath, and 31 per cent exercise.
Forty four per cent go on a long walks and one in five turn to social media to distract them from their worries.
Eighteen per cent play games on their phone for a quick rush of endorphins when they get a minute to indulge, and one in eight swear by deep breathing exercises to relieve stress.
It also emerged more than half of Brits think their lives would be improved if they had more money coming in, which would allow them to free up more downtime to relax.
And 48 per cent think they would be able to clear their head and organise their lives more efficiently if they only had a little more time to think things through.
As it stands, Brits are doing their best to keep on top of their busy lifestyles by any means necessary.
Half of those surveyed keep a well-weathered stack of to-do lists to keep track of their tasks, and one quarter have a dedicated organiser app on their phone to ping them when they have appointments or deadlines coming up.
More than one third still mark key dates in a paper calendar, while a free-wheeling one in five flirt with disaster by refusing to take any steps to organise their lives at all.
But the survey, carried out via OnePoll.com, found the average Brit is still only able to find 73 minutes a day to themselves between work pressures, chores and general life admin.
Despite this dedication to worrying about work, only 15 per cent would refer to themselves as ‘workaholics’, suggesting there isn’t much pleasure gained from this extra effort, as more tasks replace the old ones each new day.
Almost a quarter think their work-life balance is in an urgent need of an adjustment, and only 16 per cent think they walk a completely healthy line between their work life and social life.
Greg Tatton-Brown added: “Brits are finding ways to tackle their stress levels, whether they have a minute between meetings or a cheeky hour to themselves.
“Traditional methods of relaxation like a long soak in the bath or a bit of kip are all well and good for those who can find the downtime.
”But for those of us where every minute counts it seems our mobile phones, whether through social media, gaming or entertainment, provides a much-needed escape to recalibrate our minds.”
ENDS
