Welcome to Atlanta, don’t stress out

ATLANTA — If you live in Atlanta, there's a good chance you're stressed.

Although lower than last year, Atlanta residents still suffer from
high stress levels, reporting an average stress level of 5.3 on a
10-point scale. That's higher than what is considered healthy (a 3.7
level), according to a new survey from the American Psychological
Association.

Still, 77 percent of Atlanta residents cite work is a significant
cause of stress, the highest level since reporting began in 2008, and
57 percent specifically call out job stability as a source of stress.
But, the silver lining is that 56 percent of residents believe they do
an excellent or very good job of knowing when they are feeling
stressed.

“While overall stress levels in Atlanta are lower than last year, the
numbers of Atlanta residents who are stressed about work is alarming,”
Dr. Angela Londono-McConnell, an Atlanta-area psychologist and the
public education coordinator for the Georgia Psychological
Association, said in a news release. “And although stress levels are
lower than in previous years, they are still higher than what is
considered healthy.  It's important people pay attention to this
because stress can affect your physical and emotional health,
especially if not managed properly.”

Nationally, the survey found that stress levels have stabilized from
the high levels reported during the economic crisis.