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Although it’s unfortunate, in current times, it’s more common to have more reasons to be stressed than to not be stressed, as emphasized by Wallet Hub:
“Stress is inevitable. Everyone experiences some type and level of it normally, but the past few years have elevated Americans' stress levels with the COVID-19 pandemic followed by record-high inflation and spiking homicide rates. Around 83% of Americans currently feel stressed about inflation, and 75% feel stressed about violence and crime, according to a recent survey from the American Psychological Association.”
The financial news website compared 180 cities spanning 39 notable metrics in order to see the areas in the country where people best cope with stress and where they have the most difficult time dealing with it.
Interestingly, stress can lead to positive results in addition to the often discussed negative ones:
“Stress is not always a bad thing, though. Certain kinds of stress can have positive effects on a person's well-being, at least in the right doses. According to Psychology Today, ‘A little bit of stress, known as 'acute stress,' can be exciting-it keeps us active and alert.’ When stress reaches an unmanageable level, however, it turns ‘chronic.’ That's when we become vulnerable to its damaging effects such as health problems and loss of productivity. By one estimate, workplace-related stress alone costs society more than $300 billion per year.”
Included in the data set are average weekly work hours, job security figures, divorce numbers and suicide rates, to name a few factors.
In Kentucky, two cities made the top 150 for the most stressed out cities in America. These include Louisville at number 73 and Lexington-Fayetteville at number 150.