Even before the novel coronavirus hit, Americans could find themselves buried in a mountain of stress due to finances, health, work, familial spats, and just about anything else you could think of. When the virus did hit, stress levels for many shot through the roof. A ranking of the most stressed-out cities in America for each state was announced today, July 13, and Georgia's top city might surprise you.
WalletHub released the study that took 180 cities and measured them across 42 different key metrics.
The four main categories included work, financial, family, and health and safety stresses, though the study also took into account how vulnerable each state was for COVID-19, as well as suicide rates.
Points for each category were then averaged up and added together to get a total, securing each city's spot on the list.
So which Georgia city is singing Twenty One Pilots' song Stressed Out on repeat? Augusta.
Augusta came in as first for The Peach State at 23rd in the overall ranking. It's followed close behind by Columbus in 24th and Atlanta in the 37th slots.
The website also listed the cities with the highest and lowest average work hours, poverty rates, job security rating, credit score, affordable housing opportunities, divorce rates, percentage of adults in fair or poor health, crime rates, and average hours of sleep per night.
Columbus, ranked fifth in the top five when it came to the lowest job security list, and is the only Georgia city to fall in a top-five ranking.
While being the 23rd most stressed city in the U.S. is nothing to laugh about, Augusta residents can count their blessings that they're not living in Cleveland, Ohio — which took the top spot for stress in the entire country.
You may want to consider pulling roots to move to Lincoln, Nebraska, the most relaxed city on the list.
Wallethub had six health experts answer questions and give feedback for helping Americans curb worries and cope with struggles.
Advice ranged from tips for employers looking to ease the stresses of their workers to tips on how to best mitigate anxiety surrounding COVID-19, offering a myriad of coping mechanisms to try for the stressed and struggling.
Some suggestions include exercising, seeking out therapy or social connections for additional support, turning to your faith or spirituality, snuggling your pets, and tackling a project to occupy your mind such as yard work, gardening, and making art.