live on the edge

verb2

1. •
   To have an adventurous or perilous lifestyle; to behave in a manner which creates risks for oneself.

   • Your idea that murder is the objective correlative of spiritual death, a metaphor for our daily lives, is fascinating. Is living on the edge thrilling and an interesting way to live? — 1983
2. •
   To be caught in an economic or societal situation which one did not choose, which threatens one's well-being or life, and which causes distress.

   • "The bombing was a sudden jolt and we are back to living on the edge again," said Gonsherovsky, 23, in Jerusalem's crowded Mahane Yehuda market. — 2006