Considering Mother's Day: 93.1% of Mothers Feel Daily Stress; Causes of Stress: 1st 'Work', 2nd 'Money Management'

Shufu JOB Research Institute (operated by B-Style Holdings Co., Ltd., Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Kunihiko Mihara), a research institution exploring the realities and true feelings of housewives and husbands who wish to balance work and family, conducted an anonymous survey on 'Mothers and Stress' targeting working women with children, and reports the following results (valid responses: 359).

■Survey Results Summary

1. 93.1% answered 'yes' to feeling stress in daily life.

2. Causes of stress: 'Work' 45.2% / Top 5 ranking of mothers' stress causes

3. Stress relief methods: 'Hobbies' 31.3% / Top 5 ranking of mothers' stress relief methods

4. From free comments

◇Excerpt from free comments (Age: Employment type)

・Even if I want to believe it's okay not to be perfect at work, housework, and childcare, I get depressed when I can't do something, so I want to live a bit more easily (40s: Part-time/アルバイト)

・Eating delicious food is the best stress reliever, but if I don't have enough money, I can't do that, which causes even more stress (40s: SOHO/Remote work)

・I want more time for myself (50s: Freelance/Self-employed)

・Talking with my husband calms me down and makes me happy (40s: Currently not working)

・I feel healed by scents, like burning aromatherapy oils or wearing perfume when I sleep (50s: Contract employee)

・I want to find ways to relieve stress without spending money (30s: Currently not working)

・Seeing the chaotic state of society where anything goes makes me feel depressed. Wars, environmental destruction, social division, etc., I feel powerless because there's little I can do (50s: Temporary staff)

・Housewives are often tied to schedules according to family needs, so it's tough that they can't relieve stress when they really want to and have to wait for an opportunity to find time (40s: Freelance/Self-employed)

・While there are options to quit or escape from school or work when stress becomes unbearable, there's no escaping family and childcare for life (40s: Temporary staff)

・I don't particularly feel stress in the sense of 'enduring'. I feel small stresses daily, but I don't often think about relieving them in other ways. I observe the structure of the stress itself and my reactions, and I deal with what can be solved, and even if it can't, I see it as an event from which I can learn something (40s: Regular employee)

・If I can do what I like when I like, my stress is relieved (70s: Currently not working)

・My dog and birds heal me. I walk my dog and play in the garden, and I enjoy conversations with my parrot (60s: Part-time/アルバイト)

・I live with the idea that stress is always present (40s: Temporary staff)

・I just go with the flow, do what I enjoy, eat what I like, and play with my children (40s: Part-time/アルバイト)

・I've been enduring my mother-in-law's words for nearly 30 years and I'm tired (60s: Part-time/アルバイト)

・I think being healthy is the most important thing. I think if you exercise and do what you like, stress won't accumulate (60s: Currently not working)

・Day trips to hot springs, nearby super public baths, or adding bath salts to my home bath are my ways to relax (40s: Part-time/アルバイト)

・Listening to my favorite music before bed and doing light stretches calms me down. On weekends, I refresh myself by taking walks and going to cafes (40s: Currently not working)

・I feel stress from various things mixed together: human relationships at work, aging parents, my children's job hunting, my own aging phenomena, and an unsettling global situation. I often listen to the radio. I feel a close connection between the personality and listeners on the radio. Listening to the worries and episodes of unknown listeners, I often empathize and feel that I am not alone in my troubles (50s: Part-time/アルバイト)

・Sometimes I talk about my complaints with my family. Also, cooking. Talking with my grown-up children is the best (40s: Currently not working)

・Even though I like my job, I've started to feel stress more often due to fatigue from human relationships and feeling unfairness. I think relationships go smoothly if I don't voice my opinions. It would be nice if someone noticed, but it's difficult (50s: Part-time/アルバイト)

・I don't have many hobbies or interests, so I don't know how to relieve stress (50s: Currently not working)

・New Year's holidays, oh