While 2020 was no picnic for anybody, the residents of Missouri are apparently the “Most Stressed” in the U.S., according to a new non-scientific survey.
A poll of 12,500 Americans commissioned by the herbal supplement Natrol Relaxia quizzed respondents as to what’s bothering them. The survey found that between finances, COVID-19, and politics, the average person in the “Show-Me State” spent an average of three hours and 17 minutes a day stressing about stuff. Making ends meet topped the list of stressors for people in Missouri.
For the record, Mississippi and West Virginia ranked second and third on the list, with its respondents averaging three hours and 12 minutes, and three hours and six minutes worrying per day, respectively.
Georgia, Louisiana, and — oddly — normally laid-back Vermont, all tied for fifth place.
According to the survey, 72% of those Americans polled said 2020 was the most stressful year they ever experienced; 57% are more stressed now than they ever have been before.
And while we’ve left 2020 in the rear view — at least chronologically — 56% say they’re more anxious than ever before, and the average respondent says they don’t expect their stress levels to drop to normal for almost six months.
What’s rose, twelve percent — or just over one in ten — say they don’t think their anxiety will ever get back to normal.
On the brighter side, the poll revealed that 48% of respondents “learned new ways to cope with managing stress and anxiety” in 2020, and 43% believe they’re now “better equipped to handle stressful situations” in the future.