This is how much debt the average American has

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Let's face it: Debt makes you fragile. This seems obvious in a financial sense, but it goes much deeper. High levels of debt can affect your physical and emotional health via your body's natural stress responses. And when debt must be paid off, professional options are limited to those that can help you make your payments -- not necessarily those that are intrinsically satisfying. Of course, some forms of debt have traditionally been considered "good." Primarily, tha...