Selfless mums get less than 30 minutes a day for themselves

Some things don’t change, like the amount of time mums give themselves to relax and recharge.

Nearly two years ago, a survey by casual game company PopCap Games found that mums had just 23 minutes of “me time” each day.

A new survey reflects that, with over three-quarters of mums questioned by MamaBabyBliss saying that they neglect themselves in favour of putting their families first, with three out of five mums spending less than half-an-hour on themselves each day, and a quarter sparing just 15 minutes.

As for other methods of pampering… two-thirds of mums said they only treated themselves to something like a massage, beauty treatment, or even just a long soak in the bath, a few times a year – or never.

“Mums find it very hard to spend time on themselves due to the daily demands of life. But often, even if they have the time, they feel guilty about not spending it with their children or partner or getting on with the next set of chores,” explains Justina Perry, founder of MamaBabyBliss. “Mums need to give themselves permission to have time off and to look after themselves, whether it’s a long walk on their own, a beauty treatment, yoga class or bubble bath. After all, happy relaxed mums make happy relaxed families.”

MamaBabyBliss, dedicated to the well-being of mothers and babies, offers a range of natural products and resources designed for mums and mums-to-be.

UK mums get 23 minutes “me time” per day, dads 4.5 hours: how to unwind

A recent research study by the online games company PopCap (the relevance of which will become apparent in a moment), in association with The Stress Management Society, suggests that British mums get, on average, just 23 minutes of “me time” each day, whereas dads enjoy around four-and-a-half hours of leisure time daily.

I’m sure this isn’t true across the board, but the study suggests that dads get plenty of time to enjoy such stress-busting activities as going to the gym, taking a leisurely lunch hour (they obviously never worked in the offices I did), watching TV, hobbies such as football or golf, or just reading the newspaper whilst going to the loo.

Mums, on the other hand, use the sub-half-hour break to grab a cuppa or a quick swig of wine, smoke a cigarette, or eat a snack. The study suggests that this type of break can actual be counterproductive, because the amount of time and actual activity doesn’t allow for mum to unwind from the daily stress.

PopCap would like to suggest that, as well as physical exercise which can reduce stress levels, pressure, and anger, and activities such as yoga which can stretch both mind and body, a five-minute “cyber-break” with one of their online games can help lower stress levels, by reducing blood pressure, and slowing the breathing and heart rate.

Cathy Orr, European PR Director at PopCap, said, “The disparity in down time between mums and dads is staggering. Even if mums can’t change their quantity of ‘Me time’, they can still positively affect the quality of the time they have available. A recent study in association with The Stress Management Society showed that playing casual games on sites like www.popcap.com for as little as 5 minutes a day has stress relieving benefits. If time-poor mums replace their cuppa with a quick PopCap session, it will help relax, recharge and refocus their minds to face the rest of the day.”

Don’t underestimate the power of a cuppa, though.

76% of mothers will sacrifice purse, phone, or chocolate, for a “Me Zone”

A recent survey, by Glade Flameless Candles of all people, suggests that over three-quarters of mums would sacrifice their favourite purse, mobile phone, or chocolate bar, if it meant that they could have a few moments alone in their “Me Zone”.

The “Me Zone” is not only about creating time for mothers, but also a place for them to enjoy it (hence the candles, presumably).

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