• Over two-thirds (70%) of the nation admit being stressed with nearly one in ten (9%) saying they are 'very' stressed
• Transport delays (36%), workload (33%), and bills (25%) stress us out most, closely followed by queuing (23%), people listening to loud music (21%) and people coughing without covering their mouth (20%)
• Over a third of us (34%) take our stress out most on our partner and over a quarter (28%) on ourselves 
• Katie Hopkins annoys Brits most (20%), closely followed by Donald Trump (19%) and David Cameron (17%)
• Pets relax us more than friends, bubble baths, food and movies
• Green Flag launched a special one off service to recharge the nation's batteries featuring some of Britain's most loved (and fluffiest) pets. 
   

New research released today, ahead of National Battery Day on Thursday 18th February, sheds light on what runs Brits' batteries down most: revealing that over two-thirds of the nation (70%) is stressed with nearly one in ten (9%) of us admitting to being very stressed.

Research, conducted by breakdown experts Green Flag during the cold weather snap in which Brits are most likely to experience flat batteries, reveals Brits' biggest stress causes as well as de-stressors. The research was accompanied by a one-off service whereby customers who broke down were able to recharge their batteries with fluffy friends while Green Flag repaired their cars. The four legged friends were brought in following the results which revealed that pets relax us more than our friends, bubble baths, food and films. [Video to follow]

When it comes to what stresses us the most in general, it's no surprise that in budget conscious Britain, bills stress nearly a quarter (25%) of us, with the regions most affected by bill worries being Plymouth (49%), Brighton (43%) and Yorkshire (38%) – however, the nation has revealed more about what grinds their gears.

In true British style, things that stress us include queues (23%), people coughing without covering their mouth (20%), traffic (19%), slow walkers (18%) and our phones dying (10%). As a mobile-obsessed nation, we also get peeved at people who don't respond to us – with almost one in ten (8%) of us saying that we get most frustrated by people who don't reply to calls or texts.

At home, things that stress us most include washing up being left in the sink (18%), noisy neighbours (17%), running out of toilet roll (10%) and missing our favourite TV show (5%). 

When at work, we're most stressed by workload and deadlines (32% respectively), clients (16%) and temperature (14%). Other workplace stressors include people gossiping (13%), messy colleagues (11%), not getting a full lunch-break (10%) and hearing about other people's relationships and problems (10%).

When travelling by car and public transport, things that stress us out most include delays and cancellations (26%), traffic and getting lost (28%, 28%), breaking down (21%) and needing the toilet (13%).

Unsurprisingly, work and school commitments have meant that Monday is the most stressful day of the week for over 17% of us, but more so for men than women with 22% finding themselves most stressed on Mondays compared to 13% respectively. Surprisingly, Friday is the second most stressful day, followed by Wednesday. 

Our partners are the unfortunate targets of our stress with over a third of us (34%) admitting we take our stress out on them most, followed closely by on ourselves (28%).

When it comes to what de-stresses us, sleep was found to be the biggest de-stressor for 35% of Brits, followed by music (20%), alcohol (19%) and sex (19%). Pets (13%) beat bubble baths (12%), food (12%), movies (10%) and even shopping (10%) as a de-stressor.

Finally, Katie Hopkins - who has recently been called the British Donald Trump - has beaten her US counterpart narrowly to the title of the celebrity that stresses Brits out most.

Candace Gerlach, Head of Marketing at Green Flag, commented: "As the experts in repairing faulty car batteries, we were really interested to see what runs the nation's batteries flat – and particularly how we could fix them.

"On National Battery Day we expect 4,019 car batteries will run flat. Breaking down is a stressful time for anybody and with our one-off Flat Battery Service we hoped to bring a little relaxation to our customers!"

Dr Trudi Edginton, Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Westminster, said: "Keeping our car batteries running efficiently means keeping them active and making sure that we don’t drain them by not switching off or overloading their capacity with excessive demands. On the rare occasions when our batteries do go flat it is reassuring to know that there is a back up and support at hand.
 
For the 1 in 10 of us who are very stressed, we can start to perceive the world in a different way. We can become hypersensitive and more irritable with other people, noise, smells, rudeness, queues and delays and end up feeling overwhelmed, overworked, undervalued and burnt out.
 
As such, it is important to take the time to switch off, maintain energy levels and find the best level of activity and relaxation that is right for each of us, to help us build up our resilience with strong social support networks and an interest in taking care of ourselves."

Green Flag expects around 1,001,765 breakdowns to be caused by a car flat battery in the UK this year.

To watch the video of the Green Flag Flat Battery Service, head to https://www.facebook.com/GreenFlagUK/

For advice on how to check for a flat battery, visit http://blog.greenflag.com/2014/check-flat-battery/

Headline data includes:

What stresses us out the most
Quality Percentage
Bills 25%
Ques 23%
People coughing without covering their mouth 20%
Bank balance 19%
Traffic 19%
Slow walkers 18%
People talking overly loud 13%
Other people's children 11%
Having low phone charge/ phone battery dying 10%
Having low phone charge/ phone battery dying 10%

What de stresses us
Quality Percentage
Sleep 35%
Music 19%
Alcohol 19%
Sex 19%
Exercise 19%
Family 17%
Pets 13%
Friends 13%
Bubble baths 12%
Food 12%
Movies 10%
Going shopping 10%
Having a massage / spa day 56

Who we take our stress out on
Quality Percentage
Partner 34%
Myself 28%
I do not take my stress out on anyone 426
Mum 10%
Other family members 9%
Friends 5%
Dad 5%
Work colleagues 4%
Strangers 3%

Which time of the day we get stressed
Quality Percentage
Morning 30%
Afternoon 25%
N/A  I am never stressed 24%
Evening 20%

Which day of the week we get most stressed
There isn't a particular day of the week where I am most stressed 60%
Monday 18%
Friday 5%
Wednesday 4%
Thursday 4%
Tuesday 4%
Sunday 3%
Saturday 2%

   ENDS

For further information please contact the Green Flag press office at Frank PR:
0207 693 6999/ [email protected]
 
 
Notes to Editors:
 
With over 40 years experience, Green Flag provides customers with breakdown cover 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Customers have access to a network of breakdown operators across the UK and mainland Europe (Euro Plus cover required).

Green Flag Motoring Assistance is underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. 

Green Flag and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  

Customers can find out more about Green Flag products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 1557, connecting via the Green Flag Rescue Me Application, or visiting www.greenflag.com

Figures are calculated incorporating Green Flag's market share to determine callouts at whole industry level'
 

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