Stressed-Out Americans Only Get 43 Minutes of ‘Me Time’ Per Day, But Solution May Lie in Their Backyards

Struggling to find a little “me time”? You’re far from alone because the average American only gets five hours of “me time” in a week — that’s just 43 minutes a day.

In addition to a lack of “me time”, a new poll examining where and how people like to unwind found the average person only gets into their ideal headspace 3.5 days a week, so it’s no surprise that one in four wouldn’t describe themselves as “relaxed.”

The results from a survey of 2,000 people found that current events, jobs, partners, kids, and too much noise are the top five things that prevent people from getting enough R&R.

Frequent stressors can quickly turn a day sour. Three in four people admitted that if they don’t have time to get in a good headspace with some “me time,” it negatively affects their mood.

75% of people wish they spent more time outdoors and 20% admit they don’t use their own outdoor space enough.

There are so many benefits to relaxing outside, rather than inside. Medical research has shown that spending time in nature can reduce symptoms of mental and physical ailments and boost the body’s production of immune cells and cancer-fighting proteins. Other studies show that spending just 20 minutes in nature can greatly reduce a person’s stress levels – and people who live close to birds and trees are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and stress.

The research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of POLYWOOD also found that a quarter of those surveyed revealed that they aren’t even home during daylight hours to spend time on the deck or patio.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/americans-get-43-minutes-of-me-time-per-day/

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Just unfortunate that the majority of Americans these days (i.e. over 50%)  simply don't have access to backyards, decks, patios...

That's the ever-increasing end-result of more and more people drifting into cities, and apartments and flats taking over from freestanding houses..

Even worse in some parts of Australia, Europe and S.E. Asia --  where houses out in the suburbs are being squeezed onto ever-smaller building blocks. (A patently ridiculous situation in countries with low population densities -- like Oz, Canada, NZ -- but this phenomenon has been growing over the last 3 or 4 decades !).

Then there's the problem of fucked-up property markets pricing average workers out of the areas they work in --  so that the longer commuting times mean that many of those that do have backyards no longer have the time to enjoy them..

People have to start learning to enjoy everything and more - their jobs, their children etc and make that their “me time” too.

Isn’t life about having “me time” within everything you do? My job gets boring so I make my own entertainment and get everyone else in a good mood.

eddie wrote:People have to start learning to enjoy everything and more - their jobs, their children etc and make that their “me time” too.

Isn’t life about having “me time” within everything you do? My job gets boring so I make my own entertainment and get everyone else in a good mood.

Shit, I bet you don't get 43 seconds of "me time" per day!

I live 6 floors up, but I'm outside hours a week. I walk almost every morning about 45 minutes, through the hood. I ride my bike all over town, and travel to areas to ride my bike. I'm going to stay active as long as possible, and I think that will be quite a while if I keep moving outdoors.

I would love to get back into hunting, but I'm waiting for a spot to open on a good lease. That will get me outdoors even more. Hell, even when I drink beer, it's often on a patio outside, even if it's over 100 degrees outside.

Sometimes it’s too fricking hot here to enjoy the garden, but I’m lucky to have the pool. Very lucky. I slither in most days between June and September. Also gardening here is very hard compared to the U.K. ( I was always out pottering about over there), it’s just not the same, although we do have grass, but it’s only just coming back.

I actually pay someone to come a couple times of year to do the big trimming of bushes and the weeding (oh my god, Arizona grows super ninja weeds) and I just pot little plants now. Mr. C does the mowing and strimming. My back and neck are not good enough now to spend hours weeding.

But Saturday night we were at a friend’s for dinner and we sat out and ate and drank wine and it was lovely.