You Can’t Escape the Economy
I’m tired of hearing the unemployment numbers, the depressing news about the stock market, and how much house values have plummeted. It can be really depressing listening to the news, especially if you are dealing with unemployment or foreclosure. I don’t know what could be more stressful, aside from having a serious illness. I just want to hear some good news, darn it!
I think one of the most frustrating things to me is that it’s not like you can just go somewhere and ignore what’s going on. It’s everywhere, and it’s not like there’s a whole lot you can do about it. The only thing you can control is your attitude.
Here’s what we’ve been doing to combat the recession blues:
I’ve been focusing on the positive things lately. Mr. Money and I both have jobs currently, we can afford our house payment, and we’re not going to retire for quite awhile so we can just choose not to look at our 401k and ROTH IRAs. We have a happy, loving relationship, family that love us unconditionally, and friends that support us emotionally.
I try to limit the amount of time I spend reading CNN online, watching the news, and listening to crazy people. There’s only so much I can take before I begin to feel stressed.
I channel my energy into things that make me feel good. I knit, play my Wii, exercise, spend time with my hubby when he’s home, and take the dogs for walks. Those are all frugal activities that make me feel better about life!
I make a plan for how I want things to be. Whether that plan is for today, a year from now, or five years from now, I feel better knowing I am doing something proactive for our future. I realize that things may change and I am completely fine with that, but it does make me feel better to have a plan.
How do you deal with the news?
I hardly pay attention to any of it. I don’t watch TV news at all, and just skim the headlines of the NY Times. Numbers and statistics don’t have to have anything to do with me unless I choose. Of course I notice things like stores in my neighborhood going out of business, and friends losing jobs, but we’re still all individuals with the power to respond to circumstances in a productive or non-productive way. Work has been really slow for me lately (I’m a freelancer), but I’m focusing on producing my own work–a collection of short stories–and that’s what’s fulfilling to me, no matter what happens with “the economy”.
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Mrs Money Reply:
August 24th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I am thinking about getting rid of the tv! I think the media blows a ton of stuff out of proportion and I wish I could live my life without any of that crap!
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I’ve found the economy less depressing now that the stock market has turned upward. Watching my net worth shrink month after month – despite saving and investing faithfully – was depressing. Yes things could be better, but I think we are in surprisingly good shape compared to earlier this year.
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I’ve been thinking about the same thing in recent times.
Take a peek on my blog to see my comments about this topic ( I didn’t want to take up too much space on your blog.)
The entry ( although a little dated) can be found if you scroll through and find:
Thursday, September 25, 2008
“Why is his version of the truth better than mine?”
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