CLEVELAND — A new study from WalletHub ranked Cleveland as the most-stressed city in America. But what's causing this?
This is the third straight year Cleveland has landed at the top of this list.
WalletHub crunched the numbers on more than 180 cities and used 40 metrics when making its decisions.
"People are facing more and more financial stress lately as they're feeling the effects of inflation, realizing that a lot of the goods and services that they typically buy cost a little bit more," Case Western economics professor Jonathan Ernest said.
Cleveland topped the list when experts factored in average weekly work hours, unemployment rates, divorce and suicide rates.
"You're working and you're trying to toil along, but your paycheck is just not going quite as far as it used to," Ernest said.
Stress is unavoidable and something everyone experiences, but the pandemic cranked that up a notch.
"Some people, it was actually losing loved ones or family or friends to the pandemic, whereas for others it might be a loss of social interactions because of the isolation, you know, from other people," Cleveland Clinic psychologist Kia-rai Prewitt said.
However, there's room for improvement with vaccination numbers increasing and COVID-19 cases dropping.
As well as more job opportunities, but Prewitt said the physical environment also plays a role.
"If you're constantly living in an environment where it's cloudy, you know, oftentimes that can negatively impact people’s negative mental health. They might feel more depressed if there's more days with rain and cold," Prewitt said.
Experts said the best way to cope is to make lists, budget your time and prioritize your mental and physical health.
To view the entire list, click here.
If you're worried about your mental health, you can text 4Hope to 741741 or call the National Suicide Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
