Florida ranked most stressed-out state

Survey shows 25 percent of Floridians uninsured

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – If you're feeling stressed, it's probably because we're living in the most stressed-out state in the country, according to a new survey.

If you're considering moving to the least-stressed state you'll have to pack your bags and head to North Dakota.

Your daily commute, the amount of hours you work and how much you're spending on housing are just a few factors that went in to making our state the most stressed-out in the country.

The national survey also took into account the amount of Floridians without health care. Florida is No. 3 nationwide with more than 25 percent of the population uninsured. Medicaid expansion advocate Damien Filer said that's enough to stress anyone out.

"What's sad about it is that we had an opportunity here in Florida to make a huge impact in terms of the number of people who have access to health care, and for two years running the legislature has failed to do so," Filer said.

The unemployment rate helped Florida rank first on states most stressed. The survey factored in recession numbers, which the state says are very different today.

"Our current unemployment rate is 6.2 percent, well below our recession high of 11.4 percent," said Jesse Panuccio, with Department of Economic Opportunity. "We've added 600,000 private sector jobs and our job demand is back to where it was prior to the recession. We think we're doing pretty well."

So how can Floridians unwind? Well, a massage is a good place to start.

Massage therapist Peggy Elliot has been de-stressing people for 26 years. She said she's not surprised Florida ranked so high.

"I recommend getting on the table and try giving it at least an hour to turn off all your media and enjoy yourself," Elliot said.

Unfortunately, a one-hour rubdown can't fix all the state's problems.