A recent survey indicated an average of only 16 to 17 hours per week of leisure time after job and household responsibilities. The leisure time people do have often can't be fully taken advantage of because they're too tired for the activities they'd otherwise choose to do. For families, the total time spent working has increased at an even faster rate because more family members have had to go to work. This means taking overtime when it's offered, working a second job, or having a second or third or fourth family member working outside the home. We all know the harmful effects of overwork.
People get tired and irritable.
Exhaustion and stress can and do lead to illness and lowered resistance to disease. People feel cheated and abused, and they get angry. All too often, the anger is expressed in an aggressive, violent or self-destructive way. All this takes its inevitable toll on personal relationships. Families break up at an increasing rate, friendships are strained, and the pain is compounded by the guilt and anxiety felt over failed relationships.