The New York Times posted an article discussing stress-related health issues that can go along with professional blogging.

At least one blogger, Marc Andreessen, ridiculed the New York Times article. Marc, buddy, I think you missed the point. As someone who has blogged prolifically for the past few years, I can tell you that the New York Times article isn’t necessarily that far off the mark.

First of all, the Times article isn’t saying that “Blogging causes death.” No, what they’re saying is that highly-competitive blogging can cause heavy stress. Heavy stress can lead to health problems, some of which—such as heart attacks—can lead to death.

Let’s think about the real idea behind the article before shooting off about it on a blog next time.

Many bloggers today put themselves under a shitload of stress. As a blogger for DT, I’m not as hard core as some are, but I can tell you that I’ve suffered under the stress of blogging too. I’ve deprived myself of sleep. I’ve suffered burnout. I put DT before studying as a college student; it showed in my grades, and now I regret it. At times DT became an obsession, and I just coudn’t handle it anymore. That is why I don’t post here as much as I used to.

In linking to Andreessen’s post, John Gruber remarks, “There’s nothing to say about such a goofy, insipid article other than to mock it. My grandfather was a coal miner. That was a hard, stressful, dangerous job.” Coal mining is a dangerous and stressful job, but for completely different reasons. Blogging is stressful because people make it stressful. People bring it upon themselves. Coal mining is stressful because if you’re not careful you could end up seriously injured or killed. But I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the possible consequences of professional blogging.

Any job can be stressful, really. The one major difference, though, is that blogging for some can become a nearly 24-hour job. Working almost nonstop can’t possibly be a good thing.

If you’re a prolific blogger, or anyone whose job causes a heavy stress load, I have one word for you: chill. Pay the bills, yes, but also make sure you get as much rest as you can, eat right, and get some exercise. Find a balance. And if that doesn’t work, maybe it’s time to find something else to do for a living.

And with that, it’s off to another kind of hell: going to the dentist to fill a couple cavities. Boo.