How Stressed Out Are Iowans Compared to Other States?

Would you consider yourself to be someone who deals with a lot of stress? Personally, I'm pretty lucky, I would have to be in the "no" category of that question. Thankfully I'm rarely stressed out and don't have to worry about dealing with it too often. How about Iowans collectively? Where do you think our biggest cities rank compared to other big cities in the United States?

We often hear the word stress and immediately think it's something bad. Too much stress can be bad but there are certain kinds of stress that can have a positive effect. According to Wallet Hub, "acute stress" can be a good thing. It can help keep you active and alert. When stress reaches an unmanageable level, it turns to chronic stress. That's when you start feeling like it's taking over your day, week, or life.

Which cities in America cope with stress the best? Wallet Hub looked at 180 different cities with 40 different metrics, such as work hours, unemployment rate, divorce rate, and suicide rates. The two cities they chose to look at in Iowa are Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Both cities actually performed pretty well if you go by the metrics they used.

Des Moines ended up being the 114th out of the 182 cities that were studied and Cedar Rapids finished at 169th. That would put both of these cities in the bottom half of the most stressed-out cities in America. This is fantastic news for Iowans. As a whole, our state is either rarely stressed or does a good job of coping with it in a healthy way. The number 1 stressed-out city is Cleveland Ohio, followed very closely by Detroit Michigan.

Stress is something that can take over and negatively affect your life if you let it. It can lead to diminishing mental and physical health. It can lead to various mental health disorders including anxiety and depression. It can negatively affect your sleeping habits and can cause unwanted muscle tension. There are things you can do to help cope with managing your stress.

One of the best things you can do to manage stress is some kind of physical activity. Try Stress Management believes exercise can improve your mood, stabilize hormone levels, and decrease stress due to the "positive effects of a behavioral change."

If you are constantly dealing with stress, you need to just get moving. It might not always be that simple but it's by far better than not doing anything at all. Something as simple as going for a 15-minute walk or shooting some hoops can make a world of difference.