Marilynn Olson Reducing A Mother's Stress and Anxiety Interview

Marilynn Olson Reducing A Mother's Stress and Anxiety Interview

New research released today by new social recommendation service Recomazing, reveals over half (51%) of Aussie mums feel stressed when it comes to making the wrong purchase decision for their kids.

The study revealed this stress is causing mums to suffer a host of health related side effects including anxiety (29%) and loss of sleep (27%). Other reactions to the stress triggered 12% to argue with their partner and 8% feared they will be judged by other mothers for making the wrong purchase decision for their child. On top of this, 14% of mothers said the stress caused them to experience all of those side effects.

Interestingly, it appears the stress of making the right choices for their kids never goes away for mothers, with 35% of mums aged 55-65 years said they still experience stress about making the wrong decision for their child, causing 50% to still lose sleep over it.

Recomazing is a new, free service that allows friends to help each other find, share and store their most trusted business recommendations, to save time and money and skip stressful customer service experiences.

Mother and General Manager of Recomazing, Marilynn Olson said when it comes to making purchase decisions, tapping into friends and family for recommendations can empower mums to have confidence in their choice, especially when it comes to decisions involving their kids.

'As a mother I know how difficult it can be to wade through all the conflicting advice you find online. There's nothing more reassuring than being able to rely on friends and family for recommendations to help navigate through the challenges of motherhood.

'However it's not just mums who are the only ones who have wasted their precious time and money on poor customer service experiences. Recomazing aims to help all Aussies diminish stress and frustration by providing a simple way to store all of their friends' most trusted business recommendations, so they can cut to the chase and quickly find only the most amazing businesses to deal with," she said.

The new study - which looks into the important role friend recommendations play when making purchase decisions – revealed that whilst Aussie mothers are feeling stressed about making the wrong purchase decision for their kids, ironically, nearly one in five (19%) Aussies consider their mum their most trusted source of recommendations, falling only below partners and friends (25%), but above fathers (12%).

Interestingly, the results also show that when it comes to being a parent, they are more likely to turn to their partners (32%) and friends (23%) before seeking recommendations from their own mother (16%) or father (11%).

The study also exposed a hunger amongst Aussies to save their friends from painful customer service experiences. Sixty-five per cent of Aussies said the number one motivator for giving recommendations is to help their friends and family make better purchase decisions.

While helping our loved ones took out top spot, the second-biggest motivator varied across different generations. Considered digital natives, Gen Y were more motivated to share recommendations to boost their social currency, saying it made them feel valued and in the know. Compared to Baby Boomers, who are more driven to give credit where credit's due, saying they made recommendations to help promote their favourite businesses that deliver fantastic customer service.

When it comes to why Aussies seek friend recommendations, the study shows that saving time and money isn't as important as avoiding bad customer experiences. The number one reason Aussies rely on their friends' recommendations is to reduce bad customer service experiences.

The study shows turning to friends for their recommendations can promote a happier lifestyle with over 2 in 5 Aussies (45%) said the benefits of friend recommendations was that they were left feeling happier with the service and felt confident about their purchase decision.

To find out more about how you start finding your friends and family's most trusted businesses, visit www.recomazing.com.

Interview with Marilynn Olson, Head of Advocacy, Recomazing

Question: What surprised you about the Recomazing study?

Marilynn Olson: While it is a huge statement to say 51% of Aussie mums feel stressed about making the wrong decision; I'm actually surprised this is not higher (I wonder if people are a bit shy about admitting this?). I know from my recent mums' group experience that an incredible amount of time is spent researching products and services for children. We really want to make sure we make the right decision as it is stressful to waste money and spend the time dealing with' wrong' decisions.

What was also interesting is that many mothers responded to our study saying that not only were they stressed about making the wrong purchase decision for their child, they also feared they will let them down.


Question: How do women usually feel when making purchase decisions for their child?

Marilynn Olson: Personally, I feel really good when I have the information to back up the decisions I am making. I feel like I am doing well as a mum when I make good decisions. It feels great to be able to tell mums about my good decisions as it makes me feel helpful and knowledgeable.


Question: What purchases are you referring to?

Marilynn Olson: There are so many! From deciding on what music or art classes to enrol your child in, to what GP to trust and what sleep programs to try. Everyday Aussie mums have to make so many purchase decisions when it comes to their children, which results in many potentially stressful situations for mums to navigate through. Tapping into other mothers and friends is a great way to cut through the clutter and make the best decision for you and your child based on your trusted friends personal experiences.


Question: What health effects does this have on a mother?

Marilynn Olson: Mothers are under an incredible amount of stress. We have careers, we are the primary caretakers and homemakers, we are time poor and often financially pressed (over half my salary goes towards covering the cost of child care). High levels of stress are known to lead to a myriad of health issues. Our recent research revealed that this stress is causing mums to suffer a host of health related side effects including anxiety (29%) and loss of sleep (27%). Other reactions to the stress triggered 12% to argue with their partner and 8% feared they will be judged by other mothers for making the wrong purchase decision for their child. On top of this, 14% of mothers said the stress caused them to experience all of those side effects. Having life hacks, like Recomazing, that save time and money, are absolutely paramount to staying sane and ahead of the game.


Question: Can you talk about the importance of a mother's friendship circle in reducing stress?
Marilynn Olson: Having a support network is incredibly important. Other mothers' understand the unique pressures we are under and can offer guidance, help, encouragement, inspiration and support better than many other sources of support mum's may have access to. Being able to laugh at the frustration and sometimes unbelievable circumstances we find ourselves in day in and day out can play a massive role in keeping each other sane.


Question: How did the advice of your friends and family help make you more confident in purchase decisions?

Marilynn Olson: If someone I trust and respect has had a great experience with a business, then that is the only -review' I need. I believe that tapping into the experience of friends (that intimately understand you and your unique needs) is the most important research we can have access to.


Question: Who do you look to for advice when you are buying something for your family?

Marilynn Olson: Personally, when making purchases for my daughter I usually turn to my husband or my trusted friends. I always seek recommendations from my friends to get their guidance, knowledge and trusted advice that I'm after. My mother lives in America so I'm sure if we lived a little closer I would tap into her more. Interestingly, our recent study also showed that Aussie parents are more likely to turn to their partners (32%) and friends (23%) before seeking recommendations from their own mother (16%) or father (11%).


Question: What can Aussie mothers can do right now to reduce stress and anxiety?

Marilynn Olson: Take deep breaths, find more time to work out and take care of themselves, and share great business experiences with their friends on Recomazing.


Question: What is Recomazing?

Marilynn Olson: Recomazing is a new, free service that allows friends to help each other find, share and store their most trusted business recommendations, to save time and money and skip stressful customer service experiences. For more information please visit www.recomazing.com

Interview by Brooke Hunter