How to Get Through the Recession with Less Depression

Recession Depression Quiz

Does your stomach churn when you read the latest news?

Are you angrier or more fearful than normal?

* If your answer is yes to any of these questions, you are experiencing the emotional effects of the recession.

Many people have been laid off from their jobs, lost a substantial percentage of their assets and countless families have lost the opportunity to own homes.

Even if you're one of the lucky ones, and your home, job and bank account are intact; you may still be feeling emotional trauma, fear or anxiety. The emotional trauma and paralyzing fear we experience may leave us unable to make wise decisions, block us from seeing things clearly, or hold us back as we try to move forward.

The threat of recession, and the hardships that usually accompany one, can put us in our own psychological recession, an emotional state in which we feel extremely vulnerable to economic hardship, leading to a grim view of the present, and an even more depressing view of the future. This gloomy mindset causes anxiety, depression, and a sense of being powerless. When we're anxious and depressed, our fear and despair replaces any optimism and faith that we had.

Use these tips to break out of this cycle and survive through the rough times:

Take Control

Stress is based on feeling out of control. Taking a small positive action demonstrates that you are in charge and will lower your stress level. You don't have to solve the entire situation today - just take one small step toward making it better. One step you can take is to speak up. Let your local and state representatives know how you want your tax dollars spent. Here is a link for you to find and email your congressional representatives.

http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html

I did it last night. It takes under five minutes, and sure feels good. Please share this link, and ask your friends to speak up as well. Remember, this is your money and your government.

Stay Focused

Be realistic about your fears surrounding your job security. If you still have your job, how likely is it really that you'll be laid off? Remain grounded so that the fear over losing your job doesn't become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Being chronically fearful leaves one too exhausted to be creative and innovative. Since we expect the worst to happen, we see no reason to continue to give our jobs are all, and we become less productive, which in turn could actually place our job in jeopardy. It's important to stay focused and productive.

Continue reading on The Huffington Post