A Website for Emotional Rescue from the Economy
by Efin Advisor | March 31, 2009
Feeling stressed out by the economy? Reuters News reports that a new website by the U.S. government may help soothe frazzled nerves or at least put yon on the lookout for strange behaviors.
A guide to “Getting Through Tough Economic Times” available at http://www.samhsa.gov/economy/ is meant to “help people identify any serious health concerns related to financial worries, develop coping skills and find help,” the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced this week.
Left unchecked, stress can lead to the risk of clinical depression, anxiety and compulsive behaviors such as gambling, overeating and even spending, SAMHSA said.
Behavioral changes to be aware of include: persistent sadness, excessive anxiety, lack of sleep or constant fatigue, excessive irritability or anger, increased drinking, and Illicit drug use including misuse of medications.
Of particular importance is helping people see the warning signs of depression, suicidal thinking and other serious mental illnesses, SAMHSA said.
The site directs people to caregivers and also offers tips on ways to reduce the causes of stress, such as finding a new job and refinancing mortgages.
Efinancial was founded to take the stress out of financial decisions like life insurance. Stress-free life insurance could even be our motto. How are you keeping your cool?
Good, I’m glad the government is putting at least some of this money to good use. There have been so many reports of suicides, depression, etc. since this recession started that it seems the entire country needs to take one big Prozac. While I appreciate the government’s efforts to help right the ship on the macro level, the fact is that there are lots of individuals in this country who have been deeply hurt by the economic crisis and who need help at the more individual level. Definitely great news that the government is doing this.
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Well I think this is stupid. Every cent of government money in this situation should be going to bailing out the economy on the whole, and not to helping out some investors who got a little too emotional about their losses. If you’re a smart investor, you’ve got money outside the market for occasions like this one. If you didn’t do that, then shame on you. Recessions happen all the time; they are a part of economics. I don’t remember the government putting money toward emotional issues when the 9/11 attacks happened, nor do I remember any such thing during any of our past recessions. At the risk of sounding blunt, America needs to grow up.
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Wow, I had no idea that depression and stress were this widespread as a result of the economy. I mean, I knew that people were upset, but drug use? Alcoholism? Physical symptoms? If nothing else, I think this is good for the country simply because it will show people how serious this problem is. I myself have had some unfortunate luck in this economic climate but luckily I’ve been able to cope and my wife’s salary has allowed us to stay afloat and feed our kids. But still, it’s horrible to imagine what would happen if I wasn’t quite so well off.
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Getting through these economic times is not easy, but I’ve found several ways to “keep my cool,” so to speak. One way is to find activities that take your mind off the crisis– things like yoga, which I began doing, give you at least a few hours every week where your mind can be focused on something other than tumbling stocks and unemployment lines. I’ve also begun taking an interest in other aspects of the news. Just use a news website where you can configure the updates to not show financial news– out of sight, out of mind, and now I get to read about other things… like the North Korean missile crisis. Ok, so maybe it doesn’t totally allow me to stop worrying….
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As someone who has had one friend take his own life and another dear friend have a rather dramatic depressive breakdown, I must say I am all for any method of helping out this in emotional need. I know it’s easy to mock investors for being depressed when there are people in the world with far worse problems, but the fact is that not every investor managed to get out with a manageable nest egg. Some people lost virtually everything– their equities, their jobs, their families… say what you will, but that is an extreme shock to suffer within a period of just a few months.
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Stress is really not good for the body. In tough financial times it’s important to relax and do something that destresses you for at least an hour or so each day. By the way, gotta love the picture of the little girl!
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