Even though we were just rated the third best city in the world, our strengths come at a cost—anxiety. According to new study, New York was found to be the most anxious state in the U.S.
Data was collected from the Center for Disease Control and analyzed by TinyRituals to determine anxiety levels across the country. New York came out on top with an anxiety score of 28.7—that’s almost 30% higher than the national average score of 22.1.
Louisiana and Arkansas followed not far behind as the second and third most anxious states with a score of 28.1 and 2.6. In contrast, Iowa was the least anxious with a score of 16.5.
About 31.1% of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life, explains the National Institute of Mental Health.
WebMD advises those struggling with anxiety to redirect the nervous energy, remind yourself that you’re safe, breathe, change your position or even use a mantra. And when you need a little pick me up or a distraction around the city, be sure to check out these mental health murals around NYC to remind you that you are not alone.