Female Speaker: I used to have time for small indulgences, but now I have a six-month old and I don't have time for anything.
Female Speaker: I definitely do not had a time for small indulgences after having kids. I think it's important, I tried, but no. Rarely do I get the chance.
Female Speaker: I have to put the kids activities before anything I have to do. There is laundry to do, there is meals to make, the house to clean. There is always something else that needs to be done before I can actually take time for myself.
Host: It's being long-known that women often put the needs of others first before they tend to their own. Experts say that over time, this can affect their daily well-being. A recent survey by Angus Reid Strategies reported 65% of Canadian women polled, feel that they do not do enough for themselves to achieve a daily sense of well-being. Yet for many women, making time to treat oneself does not come easily and can counter the feelings of guilt.
Johanna Faigelman: A little bit of indulgence can go a long way in helping women to refocus. My research has shown that women who allow themselves a little bit of self nurturing in their lives, truly benefit in terms of their feelings of well-being.
Host: Like many women, Kelly, a busy working mother of two, finds it since getting married and having kids the daily practice of treating herself just a little has fallen off her to-do list.
Kelly Mansell: When I was single, I would take a few minutes everyday for a little bit of exercise or snack or something fun for myself, but now that I am married, I have two children with all their activities, it's really getting hard and we are both working full time. So, I find it almost impossible to take time for little indulgences and I know that indulgences make me feel better. So, I wish I could do it more.
Host: The traditional role women have played as societal caregivers has experts like Faigelman, looking at what impact the current economic downturn may have on women when it comes to catering to their daily well-being.
Johanna Faigelman: Regardless of the economy, women have always sort out little indulgences to improve their sense of well-being. If we think about the Depression era, red lipstick and silk stockings were something that women look to. All the way back in the Victorian era the Bon, Bon provided a wonderful opportunity for women to experience a moment of bliss. Today, women have replaced the Bon, Bon with lower calorie options, and later snacking options that actually allow themselves to have that moment of indulgence in a small way without any of the associated guilt.
Host: In fact, over 40% of Canadian women polled report that snacking is a little indulgent treat they enjoy. To help to ensure that these little snacking indulgences remain guilt-free, manufacturers such as Quaker have created portion control snacks. These products offerings are pre-measured, not to exceed 90 or 100 calories.
Johanna Faigelman: What our research found was that women who make the time for a little indulgence in their life are actually able to get so much more back to the people that they love.
Host: Canadian women also report that lunching out or setting time to watch a favorite TV show like snacking, top their list of guilt-free indulgences to support their daily well-being.
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