Coast is shore favourite for relaxation says poll

We work all year long for our much needed holiday but 60% of us feel the benefit disappears in less than a day and a frazzled 40% in just hours or minutes.

A report from Adnams Brewery investigates people's 'need to escape and reveals that the British 43-hour working week is having a big impact on the mental outlook of people, with nearly two thirds feeling they are stuck in a rut and a slave to the daily grind.

Two thirds of the UK have at least one serious wish a month to escape, while 13% feel that way every day.

Perhaps in reaction to this negativity, careers are sinking down priority lists, with nearly one in three people preferring to focus on their health and more than one in five wishing to focus on relationships or money.

Time to relax was the main priority for 20% of people compared to under one in 10 who thought work was key.

Where do Brits feel they escape the daily grind best? They adore the sea with 70% desiring a coastal view from a British break. However, just one in 10 opt for a seaside resort, compared with 59% who favour a quaint coastal town.

Psychotherapist and lifecoach Christine Webber, said: 'We lead frenetic lives. According to the TUC, the average worker in this country does almost an extra day's work each week in overtime. More than a fifth of us never take a break for lunch, while more than 50% of Brits take less than the legal minimum of half an hour.

'On top of our long weekday hours, one in three families has a parent who regularly works at the weekends. So it is no wonder that we have such trapped, negative feelings about our everyday lives. This is worrying.

'It's important that we don't simply rely on a break once a year to relieve our stress, but that we build in regular 'escape moments'.

Steve Curzon, Adnams marketing director said: 'There is a desire to flee the daily routine in all of us and this study shows just how key allowing yourself a regular moment of escape is.

'At Adnams we try to ensure, through our Beer from the Coast images, that our customers get that coastal escape in our pubs and our hotels even if it's just to take a moment to enjoy a really good quality beer or glass of wine.