Belfast named second most burnt-out city in the UK
A new survey highlights the most rest-deprived and burnt-out cities, with Belfast taking second place. A combination of poor rest habits signal a “public health concern”, warns Clinical Psychologist, Dr. McLaven.
Belfast is home to the second most burnt-out, rest-deprived Brits, following just behind Brighton which came top. That’s according to a new study that compared rest and burnout levels across the UK’s biggest cities.
Worryingly, the survey found that Britain could be operating in a rest deficit, as the average person hasn’t felt “rested” for almost two months (7 weeks), and in Belfast, this figure is even higher, it is two and a half months (10 weeks) since residents here felt rested.
A recent Rest Report by Platinum Spas, used survey data from 2,000 UK adults, to score UK cities across four categories relating to rest, stress and burnout levels.
Ranking factors used in the UK rest and burnout index:
- How long it has been since residents last felt well-rested
- How many residents suffer symptoms of burnout
- How many residents admit they feel burnt out or stressed on a daily basis
- How many hours of rest do residents get during an average week?
The UK’s most burnt-out cities
Including 9 cities where residents are more burnt out than Londoners. Scores /100.
1. Brighton = 92
2. Belfast = 86
3. Plymouth = 83
4. Nottingham =82
5. Cardiff = 81
6. Southampton = 79
7. Manchester = 78
8. Leeds = 77
9. Birmingham = 76
10. London = 76
Belfast is the second most burnt-out city in the UK
The thriving city of Belfast has been named the second most burnt-out city in the UK. Just behind Brighton.
Worryingly, almost two-thirds (63%) of Belfast residents said that they are currently suffering from burnout, and almost 1 in 6 say they are “completely” burnt out at the moment. They also admit that the biggest causes of this burnout are financial stress, followed by home and family responsibilities.
The vast majority of people (87%) struggle with rest in some way, stating that the most common struggles are,
- Internal pressure to “not be lazy”
- A lack of free time
- A lack of money/disposable income to invest in wellbeing
Where else is struggling?
Brighton was ranked first for being rest-deprived and burntout. Its residents noted that they haven't felt rested or recharged for longer than any other place in the UK, whilst, people here admit they only rest for on average 3 hours per week (outside of time spent asleep).
Behind Brighton and Belfast came Plymouth, Nottingham, and Cardiff. Cardiff residents currently have the highest prevalence of burnout symptoms alongside Belfast (63%).
Plymouth and Nottingham residents also have high levels of burnout (57% and 55% respectively) and the vast majority (95% and 94% respectively) responded, saying that they struggle with rest in some way. Financial stress and family responsibilities were the most common struggles across all of the most rest-deprived cities, highlighting a need for a change.
Commenting on the research findings, Dr Gracie McLaven, founder and clinical psychologist at Brain Body Wealth told Platinum Spas,
“Sadly, I’m not surprised by these findings. I hear this a lot in the therapy room, but that doesn’t make it any less alarming.”
Dr McLaven continues,
“When over half the UK population never feels properly rested, we have to see this as a serious public health concern. As a population, we‘ve become disconnected from the importance of rest. It’s not laziness or indulgence, it’s a biological and psychological need.
“Rest is absolutely vital for our mental health, it’s during these quiet moments that our brain is able to process thoughts, regulate emotions, and consolidate memories. Without rest, our minds stay in a constant state of overload, which can lead to increased stress, irritability, and difficulty coping. Our nervous systems become dysregulated, our emotional reserves get depleted, and even small tasks can start to feel unmanageable.”
Dr Mclaven adds,
“It was interesting to see that so many people feel guilty when taking time to rest, I often hear people express guilt around resting. When we explore this, it almost always traces back to the belief that their self-worth is tied to productivity. The idea that, “I’m only valuable if I’m doing more”.
“The problem with this mindset is that it sets us up to constantly fall short. There’s always more we could be doing, so we rarely feel like we’ve done enough.
“There’s a beautiful Italian phrase,: ‘Il dolce far niente’ which quite simply means ‘the sweetness of doing nothing’. It captures the joy of rest for its own sake, not as a reward, not as laziness, but as something deeply human and nourishing. In our fast-paced, hyperproductive culture, we’ve lost that art. But reclaiming rest as something intentional, valuable, and even joyful could be one of the most powerful shifts we make for our mental wellbeing.”