Stress is now a major problem in many countries around the world. What are some of the factors in modern society that cause this stress, and how can we reduce it?

Stress is a problem that can have detrimental effects on many people’s lives, and there are various factors in modern society responsible for this. However, there are ways to limit the potential impacts.

The modern world we live in today presents us with many issues that we did not have to cope with in the past. Firstly, there are issues of terrorism that we are constantly confronted with in the media. Whether these are real or not, we are led to believe our lives are in constant danger, be it flying on a plane or travelling on public transport. Climate change is another worry that everyone has to face. The results of a significant rise in temperatures could radically affect our ways of life, and our children’s too. There are also more health issues to be concerned about than in the past, with rises in Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and stroke to name but a few. All of these concerns can result in stress.

Tackling such problems will not be easy, but there are measures that can be taken. Governments and the media could play their part by ensuring that instead of persistently bombarding us with such negative images and information about the world in which we live, we are given more positive stories too. However, given this is unlikely to happen, we need to develop our own strategies to distract us from these influences. Of course exercising regularly is one thing we should do as this has been shown to increase endorphins levels and lead to feelings of happiness. Sleeping enough helps us to recuperate and restore our body. Finally, eating properly can improve our health and result in less worry about potential diseases.

All in all, although there are many factors around us today which lead to stress, we can take steps to reduce it. Given that the strains we face in modern society will likely get worse, ignoring it is not an option for many people.

Some people think it is more important for government to spend public money on promoting healthy lifestyle in order to prevent illness than to spend it on the treatment of people who are already ill. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

An often debated topic is whether the government should use state budget for promoting healthy lifestyle to limit illness or spend it on the treatment of the people who are already ill. In my opinion, a healthy life style as well as timely medical attention and cure for any illness of citizens are equally important.

To begin with, to maintain the healthy lifestyle of all citizens should be the main concern of the government. To prevent ailments from occurring, thay have to set up an early warning system to advice people how to avoid contracting. Taking pandemic H1N1 as an example, when the government informs all citizens from initial days about the dangers of this epidemic, virus therefor was unavailable to spread and the well-being of many people could be maintained. In addition, the government has to encourage people to lead completely healthy lives to minimize the possibilities of getting ill. National and local health campaign need to be launched to educate people understand the risks of using alcohol and cigarettes.

However, curing people who suffer from illness is very important as well. Everyone has the civil right to have access to medical system regardless of their health status. As all citizens have already paid money through the tax system, no one should be excluded from any service. Moreover, when treating people with physical ailment, doctors could be able to find new more effective ways to prevent the pandemic flu. From historical evidence, many medical breakthroughs are created from the process of curing people. Hence, the government should take all reasonable measures to help people who are sick.

By way of conclusion, I strongly believe that the government should give equal attention to promoting healthy lifestyle of people and curing them from illness.