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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Most stressful time of day is 5.55pm

Most stressful time of day is 5.55pm

The most stressful time of the day for modern mothers is exactly 5.55pm, new research shows.

Mother in kitchen with kids running round: Most stressful time of day is 5.55pm
The study found more than half of mums lose their temper at some point during the day from the sheer strain of trying to get everything done Photo: PHOTOLIBRARY
That is the point when millions of mothers are usually rushing around trying to cook dinner in time to ferry the kids to their after-school clubs.
Bath time - or 7.15pm - was the second most stressful point in a mum's day, with the kids' bedtime at 8.45pm coming third.
The morning school run, at around 8.20am, was fourth.
The study also found more than half of mums lose their temper at some point during the day from the sheer strain of trying to get everything done.
Pete Robertshaw from Betterbathrooms.com, which commissioned the survey of 2,000 mums, said: ''It's hard to imagine how stressful it can be balancing a job and a family life but it's interesting that meal times are the worst time of the day for them.
''Cooking one meal in hard enough but hearing that so many mum's are cooking different dinners and getting them ready at different times seems like a hard enough task without running everyone to different after school clubs and dealing with work calls.
''This research shows just how pressured mums feel.''
Half of mothers said their kids refuse to eat their dinners or complain about what's on offer.
A similar number also confessed to serving up unhealthy food because they didn't have the time to cook something from scratch.
Mums also said they believe organising a family and running a house was more stressful than work.
Three quarters said they feel like they need a break - and half said they struggle to find time to do things for themselves from paint their nails to have a bath.
Pete Robertshaw added: ''Our advice is that mums make sure they get an hour at least once a week to unwind and relax.
''They should run a nice bath, have a glass of wine and pick up a good book and leave the kids with dad.
''Hopefully that way they will be able to de-stress and have a nice bit of 'me time' which by the looks of this research they really deserve.''

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