Do you get enough ‘Me Time’?
Do you get to spend time at home winding down and relaxing? According to a recent study, the answer to this question is probably no!
In the study, 2000 adults were asked if they were able to take enough time for themselves at home and the results of the study we’re quite alarming!
How much ‘Me Time’ do we need?
Psychologists have advised that we should try to have at least 20 hours of ‘Me Time’ a week, in order to feel relaxed and refreshed and to help us recharge. The study results showed that out of the 2000 people, only around 700 of them were actually achieving the 20 hour minimum.
Of the 1300 people that are getting less than 20 hours a week of downtime, around 100 people say they are lucky if they 5 hours a week, and rather alarmingly nearly 400 of them said they get no downtime at all!
A large amount of the people studied said that the main reason for them not getting enough downtime was down to long working hours getting in the way of them being able to relax. The question is, what is more important to you, your job or your health?
Everyone is different, but getting enough downtime can help you feel more in control of your life and help you to achieve your goals, but by not getting enough there can be severe consequences!
What are the consequences?
Not having enough time to relax and recharge can leave you tired, stressed and even depressed! And with these results showing that more than half of the people studied don’t get the required minimum, it won’t be long before the majority of them are suffering.
Statistically, 25 – 34 year olds are less likely to get as much downtime as other people are, and if you live in London, the South East, East/West Midlands, Scotland or Wales, you are also statistically less likely to get enough downtime.
What can we do?
If you lead a very busy life, this can often mean that we don’t give ourselves enough time to relax or to simply do the little things that make us happy.
If you are struggling to get enough ‘Me Time’ then the easiest thing to do, is to try and dedicate at least one evening a week and one weekend day to doing things that will help you feel relaxed and recharged like catching up on your favorite tv show or reading a good book!
If you really want to push the boat out, you could even have a trip out somewhere and go for a nice walk.
If you can do this, then you will be less likely to struggle with tiredness, stress or depression.