Yesterday I watched a documentary on the effects of stress. I didn't realize how bad it was for you. It can cause chromosomes to break down faster, cause heart attacks, kill brain cells, and cause people to gain weight. If a woman is pregnant, her stress can affect her fetus. Not only that, but stress today affects health when people get older.

That scared me. I'm 23, and under stress constantly as a first-year teacher. I don't make enough money to suffer all that from one job. Luckily, I already have activities in place to help me to relax each day:

--knitting
--reading
--watching 30 min-1 hour of TV
--eating well
--keeping my apartment clean
--singing
--sleeping

Still, I am concerned about my health later on. American culture idolizes people who work constantly and who are involved in multiple communities. Our culture does not emphasize enjoying life or taking breaks, which contrasts with Europe. I really hope that more people realize the damage stress causes and move towards a European system. I think everyone deserves one month off each year and that everyone has health care. With more vacation time, we reduce our stress, which can keep us healthier in the long run. By having health care, we don't have to stress about being able to fix ourselves if we get sick. Keeping stress levels down also is a check on obesity, which causes many health problems as well. America values science so much and funds research, yet this country does nothing to change its culture to implement the results of that research. It's just like I tell my students: we need more follow through.

Now I'll go get some work done so I have time to relax tonight so my stress does not eventually kill me. :)