Being an adult comes with a ton of responsibilities, which can result in certain levels of stress and anxiety. How many of these worries aren’t we battling day-to-day — Questions like, do I perform well at work, is my family safe, or will I ever have enough savings to do the things I want? To occasionally receive controlled signals of stress, as a response to a particular pressure is normal, and can be motivating and productive. However, it’s chronic stress that wears away at us, puts our health at risk, and takes away hope.
In the United States, stress affects the everyday lives of more than 100 million people, who are primarily concerned about money, work, family, and relationships. WalletHub, a website that serves as an artificial financial advisor, compares the 150 most populous cities in America and ranks them from the most to the least stressed. Expat.com presents the main conclusions of this research, which has measured the stress levels due to work, finances, family, and health and safety.
The USA's most stressed cities
The five most stressed cities in the US are Newark in New Jersey, Detroit in Michigan, Cleveland in Ohio, Jackson in Mississippi, and Miami in Florida. But what are some of the characteristics of these major American cities that result in their population being overly worried? Detroit, Newark, and Jackson have some of the lowest median credit scores when compared to the other 147 examined cities. For those not familiar with US's median credit score, this is an average number that indicates your financial history and steadiness, and determines whether your loan will be approved, and if so, on what terms. At the same time, Cleveland and Detroit suffer from the highest poverty rates recorded in this survey, as well as the highest divorce rates — living situations that can only raise anxiety and stress, and lead to despair.
The USA's least stressed cities
On the other hand, America's least stressed cities are Sioux Falls in South Dakota, Scottsdale in Arizona, Overland Park in Kansas, Plano in Texas, and Fremont in California. These are all more affluent, business-oriented cities, hosting big corporate names, such as Citi in Sioux Falls, Mayo Clinic and luxurious resorts in Scottsdale, and AT&T (among FedEx, McAfee, etc.) in Plano. In these stress-free cities, it's unlikely to hear people complaining about job insecurity, poverty, and unaffordable housing. To the contrary, the population is privileged, with high median credit scores, access to healthcare, and a more balanced work and family life.
How to cope with stress
But where we live — at home or abroad —, in a more or less affluent environment, doing temporary work or having established a career, with or without a family, doesn't by default makes us immune to stress. Psychologists have agreed that the first (and most critical) step to take towards dealing with the problem, is to recognise it exists. Work-related stress, for example, can be the result of many causes — heavy workload, miscommunication and poor collaboration with colleagues and superiors, long hours, low pay, discrimination, etc.. As an employee you have the right to express your concerns and ask for support from your manager (modern employers have already started realising that their employees' well-being is crucial for the company's growth).
Managing our finances is stressful, but usually for different reasons among different individuals. Is it hard to look at your expenses because you are always too busy to do so, or is it because you think that ignoring your debts will make them disappear? Maybe it's just that money isn't a priority for you in life. However, understanding the source of your stress will help you deal with the problem, and get rid of the negative emotions. Whatever action you decide to take after (e.g. open a savings account, eat in, pay the bills as soon as you receive your salary, etc.), start small and be realistic, so that you don't get overwhelmed by the task, and eventually quit.
Finally, remember that you aren't alone in this, and your family needs you as much as you need them. A good way to initiate unity is to organise outdoors family activities or meetings to talk about the issues, exchange ideas and suggestions, or simply have fun and take the opportunity to show your appreciation for each other.
