With April being Stress Awareness Month and 83 percent of adults being stressed out by inflation, the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its report on 2023’s Most & Least Stressed States, as well as expert commentary.
To determine the states with the highest stress levels, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 41 key metrics. The data set ranges from average hours worked per week to the personal bankruptcy rate to the share of adults getting adequate sleep.
Stress Levels in California (1=Most Stressed, 25=Avg.):
44th – Avg. Hours Worked per Week
38th – Share of Adults Getting Adequate Sleep
16th – Percentage of Adults in Fair/Poor Health
46th – Job Security
28th – Median Credit Score
1st – Housing Affordability
24th – Percentage of Population Living in Poverty
41st – Divorce Rate
17th – Crime Rate per Capita
45th – Psychologists per Capita
For the full report, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/most-stressed-states/32218
Expert Commentary
What tips do you have for fighting stress without spending money?
“There are lots of ways to fight stress without spending money. Stress is a psychological and biological response to feeling overwhelmed or out of control or threatened, or when life feels unpredictable. Stress in large doses, or over long periods can erode your mental and physical health. Some ways to fight these feelings could be creating a routine or building predictability into your life. But if the stressor is out of your control, there are still things you can do to dampen the effects of stress. Social support is a primary buffer against stress. Connect with loved ones, find someone who can empathize, and be there with you to listen or lend a helping hand. Being active (like going for daily walks or runs) and incorporating physical exercise into your life can also be a great way to reduce the harmful effects of stress biology. Meditation and yoga can also be good ways to introduce some calm into your life. You can find free yoga videos online or even just find a quiet place in your house and focus on an object. Any object will do. Notice its color, shape, size, and patterns. Just this simple focusing activity can be a form of meditation.”
Leah C. Hibel – Professor; Center for Poverty Faculty Affiliate, University of California, Davis
What tips do you have for parents trying to minimize their children’s stress levels?
“Teach their children how to recognize, label, and regulate their emotions. Teach them that taking a time out is not a bad thing but a way to calm down and take deep breaths to feel better about stressful situations. Children like to be kept in the know, just as adults get to live their days with intention, children should be given the power and option to do that too, whenever possible. Warn kids about what you will be doing that day and build in choices for them when you can. Teach them good communication skills so they can express themselves and allow time for the parent to be on their own with each child where the goal is just to be together. The child will direct what they want to do with that time. Parents do not need to ask prying questions, just have the time to be together, which shows you care and allow the child to open up if they want to. If you do this repeatedly over time, the communication between parents and children should be good and allow the parents to provide needed resources to help solve problems raised by kids.”
Kelly Campbell, Ph.D. – Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Co-Chief Diversity Officer, California State University, San Bernardino
