GEORGIA — A new survey finds 58% of Georgia women feel mentally overwhelmed at least a few times each month.

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A new national survey finds 58% of women in Georgia feel mentally overwhelmed at least a few times each month, ranking the state 25th nationally.

AMFM Mental Health Treatment surveyed 3,004 women to examine the mental load associated with work, finances, household responsibilities, medical appointments, childcare, family obligations and other demands.

Based on Georgia’s adult female population, researchers estimate approximately 2.67 million women statewide regularly experience mental overwhelm.

Maine ranked highest in the nation, with 82% of women surveyed saying they regularly feel mentally overwhelmed. Nevada recorded the lowest rate at 25%.

Nationally, 69% of women said they feel mentally overwhelmed at least a few times a month. Twenty-one percent said they experience it every day, while 25% said they feel overwhelmed several times a week.

Another 9% reported feeling overwhelmed about once a week and 13% said they experience it a few times a month. Twenty-three percent said they rarely feel overwhelmed, while 8% said they never do.

The survey also found that mentally disconnecting can be difficult even when women have time to themselves. While 53% said they find it easy to mentally disconnect, 42% said they find it difficult. Another 6% said they almost never have time to themselves.

Money and finances were identified as the largest source of mental pressure, cited by 37% of respondents. Personal health ranked second at 15%, followed by household responsibilities at 13% and work at 11%.

Relationships or marriage and parenting or children were each cited by 6% of respondents. Caring for aging relatives, another person’s health and social or family obligations were each cited by 4%.

Women also reported that their responsibilities are increasing.

Fifty-seven percent said the number of things they are responsible for remembering has grown during the past five years. Thirty-one percent said it had increased significantly and 26% said it had increased somewhat. One-third reported little change, while 10% said their responsibilities had decreased.

Much of that pressure may remain hidden from others. Seventy-two percent of women said they have concealed how overwhelmed they felt because they did not want others to worry or felt they needed to keep everything running.

Half of respondents said they had delayed seeking help for their mental well-being because they did not feel they had enough time.

Women also reported postponing their own needs while managing other responsibilities. Sleep or rest was delayed by 16% of respondents, while personal errands, exercise and medical appointments were each postponed by 12%.

Seeing friends was postponed by 11%, hobbies by 10%, vacations or breaks by 9%, dental appointments and mental health support by 8%, and career development by 4%.

Nearly half of women, 47%, said they sometimes feel guilty about spending time on something purely for themselves.

Taking time off may also create additional stress. Seventy-five percent said time away can result in more work waiting for them afterward, including 30% who said this happens very often and 45% who said it happens sometimes.

The survey also examined how women prefer to receive help at home.

Sixty-nine percent said they would rather a partner or household member recognize what needs to be done and handle it without being asked. Thirty-one percent said they would prefer someone ask what they can do to help.

Researchers noted that asking for instructions can still leave the work of identifying, planning and delegating tasks with the person already carrying the mental load.

Additionally, 61% of women said the people closest to them do not fully understand how much they are mentally keeping track of.

“People often assume that feeling overwhelmed is simply a matter of having too much to do,” said Anand Mehta, LMFT, executive director at AMFM Mental Health Treatment. “But the mental load also includes anticipating what is coming, remembering what others may forget and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.”

Mehta said that when women feel responsible for keeping everything running, their own rest, health appointments and emotional needs can quickly move to the bottom of the list.

The estimated number of women affected in each state was calculated using unrounded survey results and adult female population figures.