Feeling Stressed? Your Neighbors Are, Too

What do presidential politics, the , a new , your and have in common? Well, they’re all topics of stories we’ve had on Patch this week, but they're all also potential contributors to the stress meter for residents in this corner of Maryland.

And, our stress meter is in the red zone.

Our region reports an average stress level of 5.3, higher than the 5.2 level reported nationally, according to the latest “Stress in America” report from the American Psychological Association. (On the 10-point scale, 1 means little or no stress and 10 is a great deal of stress.)

That means we feel more stress than the rest of the United States, although we also say we are generally more satisfied with our lives (72 percent) than the national average (66 percent).

The way The Washington Post put it: “Twenty-two percent of 1,226 U.S. residents reported extreme stress when cold-called by a market research firm last summer. Moderate stress has eroded microscopically since last year’s survey (from 5.4 to 5.2 on a 10-point scale), although Americans are reporting that their stress has increased over time.”

The report indicated that Americans living on the East Coast report the most stress and “those on the East Coast may be the least able to manage their stress.”

But, basically, we’re all feeling stressed. More adults report that their stress is increasing than decreasing, according to the survey.

What are the big causes of stress? Do we have to ask?

1. Work
2. Money
3. The economy

What does all this stress get us?

1. Heart disease
2. Depression
3. Obesity

That’s enough to stress a person out.

What are your biggest stresses? Respond on our poll or in comments.