44 Percent of SC Women Rank Say They Feel Overwhelmed

The errands may eventually get done. The work of remembering them rarely does. For many women, pressure does not come from one dramatic source. It accumulates quietly: work deadlines, household bills, grocery lists, medical appointments, child care, aging relatives and the expectation that someone will remember what needs doing next.

AMFM Mental Health Treatment surveyed 3,004 women to examine the weight of this largely invisible mental load - and determine where women are feeling it most acutely. Forty-four percent of South Carolina women surveyed said they feel mentally overwhelmed at least a few times a month (ranking in 49th place nationally).

Based on South Carolina's adult female population, that equates to an estimated 1,010,213 women statewide. Put another way, a significant proportion women are regularly contending with the feeling that they have too much to think about, organize, or remember. The findings suggest that, for many South Carolina women, feeling overwhelmed is not an occasional response to a particularly difficult day but a recurring part of everyday life.

The study ranked states according to the percentage of women who said they feel mentally overwhelmed at least a few times a month. The results suggest that women in some parts of the country are carrying a considerably heavier burden than those elsewhere.

Maine topped the ranking, with 82 percent of women surveyed in the state saying they regularly feel mentally overwhelmed. That equates to an estimated 496,987 adult women statewide.

At the opposite end of the table, Nevada recorded by far the lowest rate, at 25 percent. 

Estimated numbers were calculated using the underlying unrounded survey results and adult female population figures.

Overall, 69 percent of women said they feel mentally overwhelmed at least a few times a month. For many, however, it happens considerably more often:

• 21 percent feel overwhelmed every day.

• 25 percent experience it several times a week.

• 9 percent feel that way about once a week.

• 13 percent experience it a few times a month.

• 23 percent said they rarely feel overwhelmed.

• Just 8 percent said they never do.

Even when women manage to carve out a little time for themselves, switching off is not necessarily part of the package. While 53 percent said they find it easy to mentally disconnect, 42 percent find it difficult. A further 6 percent said they almost never have time to themselves in the first place.

Finances emerged as the single largest source of mental load, named by 37 percent of women – more than twice the share who selected any other area of life.