Hooray! The survey results are in! If you need a recap, I’ve been studying the concept of self-care in my clients for the past 3 years. I am fascinated by how people take care of themselves, how some feel guilty if they do, and how some get burnt out not practicing any self-care at all.
This is my first time holding the survey in an online space and I received a lot of interesting information from the survey results. As we explore, I will also give some opinions compared to past surveys as well as considering other factors.
Here we go!
Gender:
- 87.5% were female
- 10% were male
- 2.5 other/preferred not to say
From a gender perspective, the rest of the survey results can be seen as skewed female because they are, and even though equality is coming a long way, there are still a ton of self-care disparities out there. Just with child care, wages, and the un-proportional amount of single women raising children, we can argue that more females have less time for self-care.
1st 3 Words The Come to Mind with “Self-Care”:
- Time
- Work
- Parenting
Wow, our respondents captured my life! Lol! I’m not surprised here…people are busy. They are taking care of their households, their jobs and at the end of the day they may have time to themselves (if their job doesn’t bleed into that time) or if they have children they may not have much time at all (especially if those children are under 10) (especially especially if those children are under 5). Slivers of time can be hard to find when you factor in celebrations, holidays, making time for friendships, side hustle, and taking care of Grandpa Joe. It is true what they say…that we all have the same 168 hours a week as Beyonce, but we definitely don’t have all the same resources.
Top 3 Feelings when Self-Care is experienced:
- Guilty
- Good
- Amazing
I think this confirms that self-care, for the most part, leaves people feeling positive. However, I think the “guilt” came into this survey for those who have full lives. If they are taking care of themselves, perhaps they are feeling guilty not taking care of something or someone else, for example. When I work with clients on self-care, I remind them that feeling guilty is normal, particularly for parents. There’s this false idea that if you are taking care of yourself, you aren’t taking care of something/someone else. The truth is that if you take care of yourself first, then you CAN take care of everything else!
Top 3 Signs of Burnout:
- Fatigue
- Forgetfulness
- Anxiety
These survey results here are quite literally the top signs of burnout I see in people. Usually, clients will tie it to something else, but the underlying cause is typically burnout from lack of self-care, time to recharge, and constant worry about what’s next.
What is Getting in the Way of Self-Care:
Parenting, work, lists, and anxiety about it all are getting in the way. It’s also interesting that the next chunk is “spouse/partner” and I would like to explore what that means in the future. Is your partner not helping with the kids? Asking you to spend time with them instead? Not supporting? I have so many questions.
How are People Taking Care?
People could write in on this one, but it looks like from these survey results that the majority partake in physical exercise. Followed by mental/emotional self-care, which is probably be skewed because a. my coaching clients are obviously working with me, and b. almost everyone I’m connected to in some way is all about self-development.
I do think it’s also worth calling out the Personal Development block, because I think there is a ton of growth with people wanting to be better for themselves and others. These individuals are the ones reading books, taking online courses and investing in themselves.
Thank you to all who participated!
The Survey Doesn’t End Here!
This survey is still live and if you haven’t taken it, I’d love for you to! It’s to learn more about how you’re caring for yourself and selfishly to contribute to my continued research. Here it is…
Please share with me below what self-care looks like in your life now:
