Long hours and stressful lives may seem a modern condition, but they were just as common in Victorian times. Doctors recognized that stress was a major contributor to poor health, and had a number of recommendations for ways to combat the stress that is inevitable in life.

Hobbies: Their Effect on Our Health (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

Besides being good for us overall, apparently hobbies keep us from "evil habits."

On Keeping Late Hours (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

Plain Advice to Brain Workers (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1880)

On Cheerfulness as a Medicine (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1880)

On Night-Work and Long Hours (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1881)

The Mind and the Health, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1882)

Tips on reducing stress through hobbies and activities.

Life at High Pressure (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883)

Work versus Idleness, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1884)

Hope: As a Tonic for Body and Mind, by "Medicus"* (Girl's Own Paper, 1887)

Sins Against the Stomach: Worry and Anxiety (Demorest, 1888)

Disappointments as a Cause of Ill-Health (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

*"Medicus" was the pen-name of Gordon Stables, M.D., R.N., health columnist for The Girl's Own Paper. Read the complete collection of Medicus Columns from 1881-1902 in chronological order.