Britons are wracked with shame over the small things - from having two biscuits instead of one to taking time for themselves

By KRISTINA WEMYSS, GENERAL NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:41, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 15:49, 9 June 2026 Having two biscuits instead of one, calling into work sick, or forgetting to reply to a text may not sound like the end of the world. But these are things keeping guilt-wracked Britons up at night, according to research. Four-fifths admit feeling bad over things they ought not to - including taking time for themselves. And almost a third dwell on cancelling plans, taking too long to reply to a text, or dodging a neighbour to avoid unwanted chit-chat. While other studies have revealed a sick-note culture in Britain, 29 per cent said they feel bad about taking time off work, even when they are truly unwell. Many suffer from ‘very British guilt’ over food, too. Almost a quarter regret saying yes to a slice of cake (23 per cent), having two biscuits instead of one (22 per cent), and ordering a Friday night takeaway when they could have cooked (20 per cent). A similar number said that eating chips (27 per cent), staying in pyjamas past 10am (25 per cent) and not calling parents often (25 per cent), were a source of guilt.  Almost a quarter regret saying yes to a slice of cake, having two biscuits instead of one, or ordering a Friday night takeaway when they could have cooked Almost 70 per cent struggle to properly relax, finding just over an hour of downtime a week on average. Two-fifths feel they are constantly on the go, and the same number admitted they have felt pressure to do things purely to look good on social media. Even on holiday, 61 per cent said they struggle to relax, with worries ranging from arriving at the airport on time to getting lost, packing the wrong clothes and organising transfers, according to the survey of 2,000 people by Marella Cruises. Actress Denise van Outen, the company’s ‘chief chill out officer’, said: ‘Holidays are meant to be about switching off, having fun and properly relaxing - I know just how hard it can be for Britons to actually do that without feeling guilty.’ The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.