Waking up late for work is unlikely to get your day off to a good start.
In fact, it’s been listed among the top 50 daily dramas that stress Brits out the most.
These minor stresses may seem small, but they can really add up.
In fact, a study has found that we experience an average of three stresses a day, with women having their first around as early as 7:50am and men at 8:43am.
The survey of 2,000 Brits was commissioned by Rescue Remedy and found that the top causes of these daily dramas were tiredness (46%), an interrupted night’s sleep (36%) and a busy day at work (33%).
The wellbeing brand’s Zuzana Bustikova said: ‘Often when we think “drama” we think big, but the research shows how much of an impact seemingly small niggles can have on our daily moods.
‘We know that a poor night’s sleep can offset the whole day, and challenging days can often result in sleepless nights, so it’s no wonder that mornings are when the first drama is experienced.’
These daily dramas are different from the most stressful situations in life, which include bereavement, divorce, starting a new job, exams, and buying a house, according to previous research.
And just what are these little things that grind us down every day?
Being stuck in traffic came in at the top of the list, followed by spilling something down yourself, and dropping something by accident.
Small stressors like these can lead to people feeling frustrated (32%), anxious (23%) and tired (21%) – thus stress begets stress.
So how can we go about feeling better in the wake of these daily dramas?
The survey found that the top things that have improved people’s moods after facing these kinds of issues are a walk (30%), listening to music (28%) and alone time (26%).
The top 50 everyday dramas that stress us out the most:
- Stuck in traffic
- Spilling something down clothing e.g. food, drink, make-up, toothpaste etc
- Dropping and smashing something accidentally e.g. a glass, a bowl
- Waking up late
- Spilling something on the carpet
- Burning food
- A pan of boiling water bubbling over onto the hob
- Tripping over in public
- Struggling to find a parking space
- Being late for work
- Forgetting carrier bags at the supermarket
- Being pooed on by a bird
- Spilling something on the sofa
- Being locked out
- Car engine not starting
- Being late or missing public transport e.g. bus, train
- Public transport being cancelled
- Sending a text/message to the wrong person
- Deciding what to have for dinner
- Forgetting an umbrella in the rain
- Deciding what to wear
- Checking my bank balance and having less money than I expected
- Forgetting someone else’s birthday
- Mess caused by a child or pet
- Clothes you want to wear being in the wash
- Leaving my wallet/purse at home
- Forgetting the trolley coin at the supermarket
- Getting a parking ticket
- Having a backlog of emails
- A friend owing money and not paying it back
- Losing keys (car or house keys)
- Experiencing road rage
- Forgetting ingredients for a meal
- Ripping tights
- Leaving it too long to return an item to a shop e.g. for a refund
- Lightbulb going and not having any spears
- Realising an email you thought you’d sent is in your ‘drafts’
- Forgetting important life admin e.g. MOT, insurance renewal, meter readings etc
- Not knowing how to reply to a message e.g. text, dating app, social media
- Trying to organise social plans
- Spilling a drink on technology e.g. laptop, phone etc
- Accidentally ‘liking’ someone’s post on social media from years ago
- Being late due to having to de-ice the car
- Having lots of text/WhatsApp messages to reply to
- Playing something on your phone out loud in public e.g. a video, voice note etc
- Choking in public e.g. on a drink
- Getting a puncture while cycling
- Forgetting about a meeting and simply not turning up
- Late to pick my child up / drop them off e.g. at school, a party, activity club etc
- Hair dryer or straighteners breaking
Zuzana siad: ‘More than ever, it’s important to understand what our body and mind are telling us and, whilst it’s not always easy, setting good habits like eating well, establishing a – somewhat – relaxing bedtime routine and making time to look after ourselves is crucial.
‘Taking small steps to build our emotional resilience, even on those difficult days, can make a huge difference in helping us live life to the fullest.’
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