Economy Survival Tip: Treat the Disease, Not the Symptoms

There’s a saying in recovery/treatment/12-step programs that goes: “TREAT THE DISEASE, not the symptoms.” What are the diseases causing your stress? The current economic “crisis”? The political race? The politics in your office? Your son’s report card? Making your next credit card payment? You hold the power. Once you get clear in your mind, you have the opportunity and ability to deal with the anxiety and stress of today’s world by keeping your side of the street clean.nnFinancially Speaking No, you didn’t singlehandedly cause the current financial crisis. So don’t take the blame for it, don’t feel guilty about it, and, by all means, don’t think that you have to fix it. Just look out for you and your family. Your only job as a responsible consumer is keeping your end of the bargain. If you have a credit card payment that you are not sure you can make, find time to work some extra hours. Around the holidays there are plenty of seasonal jobs and you CAN make ends meet. If this is not an option, make sure you cut back on your spending. You can brew coffee at home for 1/20th the price of the designer coffee houses. Washing and ironing your own shirts for a month can save you at least $20. Pants, too, and you are looking at almost $100 or more! Cheaper cuts of meat, generic store brands, clipping coupons, can all get you to where you need to be especially if the situation is temporary.nnPolitically Speaking The political race can be a toughie. There are many of you out there that are very passionate about the outcome… but are you really in a situation to make a difference? Your responsibility ends at the ballot box. You can have a clear conscience if you have done your job and supported the candidate that you believe has your best interests at heart. If you are in a swing state, it is important for you to get out there. In a traditionally red or blue state? Volunteers are always needed. You can do your part and some more by helping out the campaign of your choosing.nnProfessionally Speaking Office politics is something that affects everyone differently. If you’re not happy with what’s going on, try to distance yourself from it. Make it known that you really do not care to participate in office chit-chat that can either be disruptive or hurtful. Find peace in the knowledge that you have controlled the situation and your stress levels can be lower each time you walk into the workplace. If people know that you are not interested (which is different than being offended by it) in the gossip, they will make sure that they talk to you about the things that matter in the day to day runnings of the office.nnPersonally Speaking If your son has his sights on Harvard but is consistently achieving grades that will never get him there, you can find a different approach to reducing stress… not only for you, but the rest of your family. Either make sure that he understands the requirements to get into such an institution and let him know that there are plenty of other options and not to set all of his eggs in one basket, or (if you are not already) make sure you invest time in his education. Working side by side with your child not only gives him the added benefit of your support, but will also help him learn how to study and learn how to trust his instincts. After all, our job as parents is to put all of our best into our children and hope that they use it to their advantage. All you can do is to be proactive. Accept what you can’t control. Enhance what you can.