A poll of a thousand people by online car insurance company swiftcover.com found that:
47% of women get impatient with untidy partners compared with just 25% of men
30% of women get impatient with partners that do not help out around the house, compared with only 10% of men
And while an equal number of men and women (37%) admit to being more impatient than three years ago, swiftcover.com found that 55% of women say their impatience has made them anxious, stressed or tearful, compared with just 33% of men. Coping strategies also differ between the sexes. swiftcover.com found:
33% of women admit feeling impatient has caused them to comfort eat, as opposed to just 18% of men
17% of men say impatience has led them to drink too much, compared with 14% of women
16% women say they intend to talk more to solve issues that make them impatient, compared to only 13% of men
12% of women have resolved to be nicer to other people, compared with just 9% of men
7% of women plan to take up meditation or yoga to tackle their impatience, whilst only 3% of men say they would do the same
Tina Shortle, marketing director of swiftcover.com, says: “It’s clear that many of us are getting more impatient than we used to, but it’s interesting to see that it has a greater impact on women. That’s why swiftcover.com has developed a series of de-stress tips to help people chill out more – whether you are male or female.”
Laugh in the face of impatience: 7% of women told swiftcover.com they intended to take up yoga, but why not combine the Eastern exercise with a good laugh? Check out www.laughteryoga.co.uk – yoga and meditation are proven ways to de-stress, helping to lower the heart rate, improve sleep and increase a sense of calm and well being.
Eat yourself calm: swiftcover.com’s survey discovered that feelings of impatience have lead more than a quarter of all people (28%) to comfort eat. However, a poor diet can actually help increase stress rather than alleviate it. Good nutrition and cutting back on junk food and caffeine will help you feel better and increase your energy levels.
Mess=Stress: Cleaning up and de-cluttering your house and work space will make you feel more relaxed and more able to work and function effectively – especially if your partner helps!
Work it out: 18% of people surveyed are planning to take up exercise, which is a great physical and physiological release from stress. It can be easy to incorporate into everyday life, for example cycling to the shops will help you get fit and can also be quicker than going by car, and exercising releases endorphins which make you feel better and more energetic.
Choose a chill out tune: Music can help boost energy and calm us down when we are feeling stressed. Listening to music can accompany your daily activities meaning it doesn’t take any time away from your day, but can help improve it.
Sleep it off: Feeling stressed and impatient led to problems sleeping for 36% of those surveyed by car insurance company swiftcover.com, and feeling over-tired can increase that stressful feeling. To break the cycle eating healthily, as well as exercising and reading can help bring on the ZZZs.
Sex it up: A study from Arizona State University found that people who had had sex the previous night were in a better mood and less stressed the next day!
Look into my eyes: Self-hypnosis can be a great stress management tool. Hypnosis helps get you into a deeply relaxed frame of mind and it can also be used to help you make lifestyle choices, like eating healthier or overcoming negative habits. For more info visit: http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/ht/Howtoselfhyp.htm
Eat Chocolate (but not too much): An Australian study discovered that the fat and sugar in chocolate can help combat stress and anxiety. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Chocolates-can-reduce-stress/articleshow/5266992.cms
Use your iPhone: Now you don’t even need a stress ball to keep calm as a new iPhone app allows you to shake your stress out on your phone or iPod. Check out http://appshopper.com/medical/antistress for details.
