Huffington Magazine Issue 52 | Page 74

STRESS LESS Exit HUFFINGTON 06.09.13 One Nation Under Stress IF YOU NEED to de-stress, you could add some cardio, try meditation — or move to Hawaii. No surprise, that’s the least stressful place in the U.S. to live, according to a Gallup-Healthways survey on daily stress levels released in April. Researchers asked 350,000 Americans throughout 2012 if they were stressed “yesterday” on different days last year. The map below shows the resulting stress levels by state, as well as the nation’s 15 most stressful cities, ranked by a 2011 Forbes study that analyzed data on wellbeing measures such as unemployment, cost of living, population density, traffic, air quality and more. California is home to five of these cities, but sunny weather and some of the highest numbers of per-capita yoga studios may help keep city traffic and housing costs from dragging the state down. As for the nation, more then 40 percent of Americans reported feeling stressed the day before. Some states are influenced, of course, by stressful metropolitain areas within their borders. — Katy Hall PERCENT OF AMERICANS WHO FELT STRESSED ‘YESTERDAY’ 37.9 AND BELOW 38-38.9 39-40.9 41-42.9 STRESS LESS 43 AND ABOVE WA 8. BOSTON, MA MT ND ID 7. SAN FRANCISCO, CA Nevada 15. SACRAMENTO, CA CO 1. LOS ANGELES, CA 3. CHICAGO, IL IL KS SOURCE: GALLUP, FORBES OK NM 5. SAN DIEGO, CA HI PA CT RI NJ WV 4. WASHINGTON, D.C. VA KY NC TN AR 9. DALLAS, TX TX OH IN MO AZ 14. RIVERSIDE, CA NY 12. BALTIMORE, MD IA UT CA MA MI NE ME VT 6. PHILADELPHIA, PA WI SD WY NH 2. NEW YORK, NY MN OR AK A weekly feature that highlights ways to handle the pressures around us. DE MD DC SC MS AL GA LA FL 11. HOUSTON, TX 13. MIAMI, FL