Managing Stress during the Financial Crisis

As we hunker down and try to wait out the recession that has affected all of us, we must begin to come to terms with the increase in the level of stress it has caused us all to feel. The current financial crisis has touched almost every industry and its effects have reached across all sectors and classes of society. We are under more pressure than ever as the recession has affected not only our bank statements, but also our self-confidence and sense of worth as individuals.

What can we do about this added stress? The first thing we can do is to acknowledge that our anxiety stems from feelings of powerlessness and the sense of being out of control. The less control you feel over your environment and the more uncertainty this creates, the more stress you experience. Instead of worrying about the things you can’t control, why not focus on what you can do to alleviate the strain in your life? Rather than ruminating about the global state of the economy, try setting realistic goals for yourself and planning out the steps necessary to achieve these goals.

One way of coping with the additional strain caused by the recession is to take an inventory of the obligations and responsibilities that regularly demand your attention. We are often not unaware of the extent and intensity of the demands on our time, energy, and material resources that are constantly being made on us. Making a list of your responsibilities and mapping out ways to manage and balance them can lend us a sense of control and give us faith in our own abilities to achieve our objectives.

Another strategy to help manage the current crisis is to try to remain focused on the present rather than the future. Many people look at the recent negative economic indicators and forecasts and get caught up in doomsday visions of the future that can be troubling. While it is helpful and practical to prepare for difficult times ahead, it is also important not to get too caught up in prophecies of disaster and doom. Looking to the future rather than focusing on the present takes the situation out of our hands and reinforces our feelings of powerlessness, thereby increasing our stress. Concentrating our attention on the things that we can control, in the present, can be empowering and might begin to alleviate some of the tension and worry brought on by the economic strain of the recession.