New Study Finds Mums Feel Guilty About Taking Time for Themselves

In what must come as a tremendous surprise to many mothers around the world, a new study has discovered that mums feel guilty about almost everything.

Shocker.

While we are all constantly nagged to make time for self-care, a new study has revealed that taking that time to look after oneself while parenting children is the primary cause of mother guilt. Again, shocker.

The study was conducted by Kelton Global on behalf of beauty company Birchbox, surveying over 1,000 adults. The findings indicate how we view self-care, how the different generations engage in self-care, and what gets in the way of getting enough me-time.

Key points are:

* Mums, as compared to dads, are more likely to feel both overwhelmed (66% vs 53%) and burnt out (54% vs 43%).
* Those who are married or in a relationship are more likely to feel overwhelmed than those who are not (64% vs 55%).
* Parents are more likely than those without kids to wish they spent more time taking care of themselves (71% vs 63%).
* Parents are also more likely than non-parents to admit they feel guilty when they do take time for self-care (39% vs 26%).
* Those who are in relationships say they feel guilty when they take time to care for themselves (39% vs 27%).

So mums in relationships are more likely to be in need of some me-time, wishing they could spend more time on themselves — but feel guilty when they do.

We can’t even relax when we’re trying to relax!

For mums, caring for others is the biggest reason we don’t care for ourselves with 42% saying they’d take better care of themselves if not for their partners, parents, and kids.

For the third time, shocker.

Do you feel guilty when you manage some me-time? What do you like to do with that precious time? Tell us in the comments!