Britons are burning themselves out by
not getting enough 'me time', suggests a new study.Researchers found nearly
two-thirds of adults (61 per cent) aren't getting enough 'down-time' a week -
leading to stress, tiredness and even depression.For the study involving 2,000
adults, 'me time' was defined as taking time-out for yourself.
研究者發現，將近三分之二(61%)的英國人，因為沒有足夠獨處的時間，導致他們感到壓力、疲勞甚至憂鬱。“ me time “這個詞定義為 “獨處的時間”。
* burn
yourself out = to wear out; exhaust
累垮;精疲力盡
The findings from the study, commissioned by
relationship website eHarmony, show that despite needing around 20 hours of
mental down-time a week to feel relaxed and refreshed, less than two in five
Britons (39 per cent) are meeting the requirement.
透過eHarmony網站顯示：每個人每周需要大約20小時的自我相處時間，才會感到放鬆、神清氣爽。但符合這個標準的英國人卻低於五分之二！
*requirement
n. 需求;規定
> Students who fail to meet the
requirements of the course will fail. 達不到這個課程要求的學生將不能及格。
Among those who said they don't have enough
me time, more than a third (36 per cent) felt more tired, while others felt
more stressed (33 per cent), burnt out (22 per cent), and even depressed (14
per cent). One in 25 (four per cent) even said they feel less attractive.
沒有足夠獨處時間的人，有超過36%的人感到更疲累，33%的人感到壓力大，22%的人覺得累垮，14%的人感到憂鬱。而有4%的人甚至說：感覺他們越來越沒魅力。
*attractive adj. = pleasing;
charming; alluring
有魅力的;漂亮的
More than one in seven people (15 per cent)
say they have no me time at all, while one in nine (11 per cent) have less than
five hours a week.
超過15%的人表示他們沒有任何一點和自己相處的時間，而有11%的人每周只有少於五個小時的時間。
Longer working hours is one of the biggest
drains on taking time out, with 42 per cent saying their job gets in the way of
their relaxation, rising to 57 per cent among those aged 45 to 54.
時間流逝最主要的原因在於長時間工作，有42%的人表示因為工作阻礙了他們的休息時間，而有同樣感覺的人又以45歲到54歲的人居多。
For younger adults, browsing social media
sites has a big impact, with 10 per cent citing 'FOMO' - fear of missing out -
as a real issue.
對於年輕人來說，最大的影響是瀏覽社群網站，而有10%的人覺得最重要的問題在於”害怕錯過時間”。
Other time drains include household chores
(41 per cent), personal admin (21 per cent) and thinking about work (18 per
cent), while even optional activities, such as group hobbies (14 per cent), can
have a negative impact.
其他消耗時間的事務又包括：家務瑣事(41%)，個人管理(21%)，煩惱工作(18%)，甚至是一些自費的活動，例如群體的愛好活動(14%)
……等等都有負面的影響。
*chore(s) n. 日常瑣事;雜務
Psychologist Doctor Linda Papadopoulos, who
assisted with the study, said 'It's important to remember that we're
human-beings, not human-doings, and finding the time to simply indulge
yourself, whether that be watching a movie, reading a book or even taking a
nap, is really important to distress and energise.
協助這項研究的心理醫生Linda
Papadopoulos表示：我們一定要記得，我們是人類，而不是”我們做的事情”，找點時間放縱自己吧！不管是看電影、看本書甚至是睡個午覺等等，都是激發活力或造成憂鬱很重要的原因。
*assist
v. = to give help or support to (a person, cause,etc); aid
協助;幫助
*energise v. = to make someone feel energetic or eager
激勵;使有活力
'Everyone is different, but typically around
20 hours of me time each week is a good amount to help feel in control of life
and evaluate your goals.
'Some people may spread this out over the
week, while others in highly-pressured jobs may 'binge' on down time at the
weekend to catch up after a busy week.'
“每個人的需求不一樣，但平均來說，一周大約20個小時的獨處時間，對於我們感受自己的生活及評估自我目標是有幫助的。”
“有些人可能會在一週裡平均的分配，而有些承受高壓力工作的人，會用大吃大喝來彌補忙碌的一週。”
* binge
v. 狂吃;無節制地大吃
> I tend to binge on chocolate when I'm
watching TV.
看電視時我喜歡大吃巧克力。
People living in the North East get the most
Me Time a week (28 hours) - 10 hours more than the Welsh who have the least (18
hours), according to the research. Those aged 25 to 34 have the least amount of
time to themselves (13 hours per week), eight hours less than the national
average of 21 hours. Given more me time a week, people would
indulge in their favorite hobbies and interests including reading (44 per
cent), listen to more music (31 per cent), watch quality TV (30 per cent), go
for more walks or simply just catch up on sleep (both 29 per cent).
根據研究顯示，居住在東北部的人有最多的獨處時間(28小時)，而居住在威爾斯的人則擁有最少(18小時)。每周多一點獨處的時間，人們會從事自己喜愛的興趣或事情，例如閱讀(44%)，聽音樂(31%)，看電視(30%)，散步或單純地補眠(共29%)。
Jemima Wade, of eHarmony, said: 'The findings
show that taking some time out for yourself is a necessity these days, not a
luxury.
'Busy lives can mean we forget to step back
and give ourselves space to relax or take a minute to do the little things that
make us happy.'
eHarmony網站的Jemima Wade表示：”這個研究顯示，為自己空出一點時間是必要的，這並不是奢侈。”
“忙碌的生活會讓我們忘記退一步，給自己一點空間放鬆或做一些讓我們開心的事情。”
*step back
v. 退一步（考慮問題），跳出原來的圈子（看問題）
'With that in mind, eHarmony is launching
'Love Sundays' - a project encouraging singles to do something that makes them
feel good every Sunday - be it trying out a new recipe at home, curling up on
the couch with a good book or just taking 10 minutes out to sit and relax, or
maybe even chat to a new match.'
“考慮到這一點，eHarmony決定推出一個計劃 'Love Sundays'，這是一個鼓勵大家在每個星期天做一點讓自己感到開心的事，無論是在家裡發掘一個新的食譜，縮在沙發上看一本好書，或花個十分鐘坐下來休息、放鬆，甚至是和一個新朋友聊聊天！”
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