Recession stress: How do you combat it? -- Career Center Blog

September 3, 2009

Recession stress: How do you combat it?

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By Michelle Goodman
NWjobs

Dwindling hours. Lost wages. Low morale at the office. Low morale on the job hunt. Reports that the individual health insurance plan you purchased (that is, if you qualified for and could afford one) probably won't cover all you thought it would. News that almost 40 percent of Americans over age 62 have put off retirement since the recession began.

It's enough to cause even those with even the most secure jobs and abundant bank accounts to hurl the remote at the evening news or curl up in a ball under the covers.

So what are small business owners and managers doing to blow off steam this recession? Journalist Caitlin Kelly had an interesting piece on the topic in the New York Times this week.

As Kelly learned, the recession-stress antidotes of self-employed decision makers run the gamut, from hitting the shooting range to fencing in the driveway to playing poker with pals to hiking, biking, kayaking, surfing, and on and on and on. One interviewee cited reality TV as his stress buster of choice. Another cited baked goods, preferably the kind with sprinkles on top.

Predictably, the health expert interviewed -- no doubt worried about workers' risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and the like -- advised a brisk 30-minute walk every day, or at the very least, three brisk 10-minute walks.

Of course, recession stress isn't just a health issue. It's a productivity issue. A new study shows that ongoing stress renders rats pretty crummy decision makers, and some experts say the same is true of humans. You think you're functioning just fine, but suddenly, and with alarming frequency, you find yourself walking into rooms without remembering why or forgetting to pick up the milk you need for your morning coffee, the interview suit you left at the drycleaners, even the kids you dropped off at soccer practice four hours ago.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you to take up archery, meditation, or long-distance running. I know you know how a person's supposed to -- in theory -- relax. Besides, as a gal who wound up in the ER last year with a work-related anxiety attack, it would be ridiculous for me to advise anyone else to breathe deeply and calm the heck down. (Incidentally, the $2,000 hospital bill that my high-deductible health insurance plan did not cover did little to assuage my nerves.)

I would, however, love to hear what folks are doing to soothe their worried minds and combat their boiling blood pressure this year. A vigorous hour-long walk with my mutt always does me good, but sometimes it's not enough. Sometimes the only thing that helps is diving into a tub of chocolate chip mint ice cream while watching that day's episode of "One Life to Live" on the DVR (mock all you want, but the inane dialogue and insipid plot twists relax me).

How about you?

Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide." E-mail Michelle at mgoodman@nwjobs.com

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Stacey on September 6, 2009 2:32 PM | Reply

I shut off cable TV and only read the news on the Internet when I'm feeling relaxed and ready to take it in. Plus, I get in some form of regular exercise every day. When I don't feel like doing regular exercise, I dance in my living room...I still get the exercise in, it's fun, and it's free.

goatroper on September 6, 2009 11:36 PM | Reply

I get high. It works great!

Manic Drummer on September 7, 2009 4:30 PM | Reply

I'm not laid off yet, but I do have a way of handling stress. I post anti-Democrat/Republican comments all over the Internet. I encourage Americans to fight government and corporate corruption by paying their federal taxes to their state. I promote secession of the northern and western states. I no longer file federal tax returns. I resist the federal government's every attempt to force its agenda down my throat. I help to distribute anti-government literature to the masses in the hope that working Americans will stand up to the corporate swine and the crooked politicians who do their bidding in Washington.

I want my country to move in the right direction for once. No more corporate greed. No socialism either. I'm sick of extremists on the left and on the right. A peaceful, bloodless revolution in the form of a federal tax revolt will do the job nicely. When we get done with the Ivy League frat boys who are running this country into the ground, no one will recognize the place.

Andy Brucia on September 11, 2009 1:05 PM | Reply

I hit golf balls at the range.

When I was unemployed a year or so back, I would go almost every day after my morning resume sendouts and job searching.

Now I go after a frustrating day. Something about hitting something very hard and watching it fly off into the distance is fantastic. My handicap is down to a 9 as well!

Grant on September 16, 2009 11:22 PM | Reply

I've been looking for a job for 8 months, but since the layoff, have been trying to never do the same thing two days in a row.

Besides making time to send out resumes, some days are for walking on the beach, some days are for doing cheap fixes around the house (will come in handy in case I don't find a job and need to sell ir), some days are for working out, and some are for being lazy and reading magazines in bed.

I'll spend enough of my life at work doing the same thing every day, so I'm trying to make the most of this break.

Jim on November 11, 2009 7:24 PM | Reply

I was laid off 11 months ago. Other than submitting resumes online and to local businesses, I created a regular workout schedule for myself, and forced family time that I hadn't taken before.

Sometimes being let go can be a good thing. The stressed out ones are the ones left behind to handle the double load.

Recession stress: How do you combat it?

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