What exactly is stress?

Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that requires attention or action. - Very Well Mind

Chronic stress can lead to a long list of problems like heart disease, weight gain, hair loss, headaches, and problems in the nooky department too!

So how can you deal with it?

Some research indicates that the way to deal with this kind of situation is to change your reaction to it. (I know, ridiculous. Right?)

How stressful is living in Sioux Falls?

Well, if you believe WalletHub's latest study of 182 of the largest cities across the country, life in Sioux Falls is pretty unstressful.

However a recent American Psychologic Association survey indicated that 80% of Americans feel stressed about Russia invading Ukraine, 87% feel stressed about inflation, and many are still dealing with residual stress from the pandemic.

WalletHub studied statistics dealing with everything from:

• Work stress - Average hours worked weekly, job security, unemployment rates, and even commute times.
• Financial stress - Median incomes, foreclosure & bankruptcy rates, and food insecurity, too.
• Family stress - Child care costs, separation, and divorce rates.
• Health & safety stress - Depression rates, people who need to see a doctor, but cannot afford it, obesity, excessive drinking, and mental illness rates, also came into this study.

Where are people less stressed-out than Sioux Falls?

Here is the list of the Top Ten Least Stressed Cities in the U.S.:

1. Freemon, California
2. South Burlington, Vermont
3. Madison, Wisconsin
4. Overland Park, Kansas
5. Fargo, North Dakota
6. Columbia, Maryland
7. San Jose, California
8. Bismarck, North Dakota
9. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
10. Burlington, Vermont

Boy, they must be doing a lot of meditation in Vermont, huh? Oh well, nevertheless, Sioux Falls is a fairly relaxing place to live. At least that's what this survey says!

Source: WalletHub