The average person experiences 14 bouts of ‘stress’ every day, new research has revealed.
A study of 2,000 adults found the first attack often strikes before we even leave the house, caused by work-related emails and an inability to find car keys, wallets or purses.
Worries over workloads, tiredness and financial issues throughout the day add to our woes, according to the report.
The study also found more than three in ten adults said they felt unusually high levels of stress.
The research, commissioned by IKEA as part of its Life at Home report, found that more than a quarter of people are tense before 8 am, with some even experiencing stress as early as six in the morning.
Myriam Ruffo, head of bedroom and bathroom at IKEA said: “With more and more people using mobiles and tablets in the bedroom and bathroom, these rooms are no longer safe havens where people can go to relax and revitalise.
“Technology is encroaching on the bedroom and bathroom, limiting their healing powers; and this severely compromises people’s ability to cope with everyday stresses and strains.
“It’s vital that people create a space where they can completely escape and find ways to organise their lives to combat stress before it has even begun.
“Luckily, there are lots of small changes that people can make within the home, from getting their clothes ready the night before to keeping a pen and paper next to their bed to write down any night time worries, which will give them a better and more stress-free start to the day.”
Morning stress was most likely to be driven by being overtired, being late and feeling overweight, results showed.
The workplace then prompts further flurries of negative feeling – heavy workloads, computer malfunctions and a lack of time were the likeliest contributors.
And there’s no let-up at home with 22 per cent confessing their thoughts are often dominated by what they need to do for work the next day.
Getting to bed late, being contacted out of hours by clients and a worry that they weren’t taking care of themselves also prompted jolts of stress the likes of which the average person experiences 14 times a day.
And the build up of stress is taking toll on home life for many Brits – over a third said keeping the house clean was a genuine contributor, while one quarter felt cooking dinner and other basic tasks often built toward a negative mood.
Worryingly, just under one in four thought they spend more time feeling stressed than they do feeling relaxed.
And when it comes to trying to relieve stress the ‘keep calm and carry on’ mentality remains – when asked on their antidote to stress the most common response was ‘nothing, I just power through.’
Myriam Ruffo added: “Certain stress triggers such as technology malfunctions and family issues can be somewhat out of our control.
“But as tiredness and losing our essential items were two key sources of frustration, ensuring you’re well-rested and organised can definitely reduce the stress of your day-to-day routine.
“Keeping rooms in the home clear and comfortable is also a step we can all take towards a calmer mentality.”
20 MOST COMMON DAILY STRESSES
1. Feeling unhappy with your weight
2. Not being able to find things such as keys, phone, and wallet
3. Being unable to sleep
4. Arguments/disagreements with partner
5. Tackling tiredness/general aches and pains
6. Issues with finances
7. Being late for work
8. Family issues
9. Stress from having overslept
10. Cleaning the house
11. General life admin
12. Issues with public transport -delays, traffic, too busy etc
13. Not having anything to wear
14. Not having enough time to do everything
15. Someone in the bathroom when you need it
16. Issues with the house/DIY
17. Getting kids ready for school
18. Worrying about work out of hours
19. Fitting exercise into my day
20. My partner/spouse snoring