And now for the third installment in the series, “The Economy, Fear, The Mainstream Media, and You.”  Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Understand your situation. What this means is that it can help you to understand that this down economy (and however it may be affecting you) is just a temporary state in the evolution of your life and the world around you.  Things will get better.  Economies go in cycles.  Granted, this one is worse than it has been in a long time, but it will go up and improve.

This is also where the concept of acceptance can be very important.  When you accept that the current happenings are just a small blip in the grand scheme of things, and your life, you will start to have more hope and less stress.  You will be a success, no matter what your current situation.  When you accept and realize that what is happening around you is just part of the journey, then you will be able to orient your mind toward bigger and better aspirations.

Furthermore, if your life hasn’t been affected much by the recession, and things are pretty much the status quo, then it can be counterproductive to overly worry about the fearsome things that the mainstream media projects towards us incessantly.  Just because they highlight every detail of every disastrous bit of economic news ‘round-the-clock, doesn’t mean that there is impending doom for everyone.  Yes, the future may be uncertain, but you cannot know what it holds.  As a result, racking your brain with perpetual worries and a barrage of what-ifs will only lessen your quality of life.

But all this doesn’t mean that you should not be prepared if indeed misfortune does happen.

When you understand the nature of the situation, and are looking at the big picture, rather than short-term happenings, it makes it easier to not let your mind overly attach itself to worry, and trying to negate that worry. As we all know, the path of life does not always follow the exact direction we desire it to go.  There are many things that are completely outside of our control.  Unfortunately though, the mind is quite sensitive to looking for total control and certainty, in the respect that it feels we should be in control of everything.  It may project upon us thoughts similar to the following:  “If this happens, it was because of me.”  “If that happened, then it was my fault.”  “If I lose my job in the future, then I will be deemed a failure because I will not be able to provide for my children in the ways that I always have been.”

You see where I am going with this.  When the what-ifs and the uncertainty that fear creates overly manifest themselves in your mind, they can cause you to re-hash scenarios over and over, looking for a way out.  It’s like this, for example.  Say you see some more bad news on TV about how the economy is expected to get even worse.  Your mind may interpret that as an immediate threat that must be countered.  It activates a mechanism of fear, which may cause you to evaluate the scenarios with which you can prevent this fear from happening.

This is a very protective mechanism which evolved as a way to protect ourselves from imminent and tangible harm.

But when there is uncertainty present, and you do not know what can happen, the fear still exists.  The thing that makes its activation different from a situation with which there is indeed imminent and tangible harm (for example, if you are walking down the street and a car is bearing toward you at high speeds) is that when the tangible threat goes away, and you are unscathed, then the fear subsides, because you are certain the threat is gone.

On the other hand, when uncertainty is involved, which can breed a constant state of trepidation, then your innate fear mechanism stays in a low level of activation.  Since the threats are not immediately tangible, your mind may race and look for explanations to counter the foreboding thoughts.

This is where something may go from being a passing thought to a state of long-term stress.  But this is also where you can change this, just by implementing some conscious effort into your subconscious.

When you understand these thought processes, you may realize that what keeps you up at night may actually be an exaggerated threat caused by an overly-activated fear mechanism that is searching for ways to counter the fear.  But since there can be so many variables and uncertainty, your mind doesn’t stop looking for answers, thereby making it more difficult to set these thoughts aside and enter a more relaxed state.

Much of this can seem so real, but it is actually an automated thought process that may lie deep in your subconscious mind.

So what is the key?  One thing that can really help is to let the thoughts that trigger the fear mechanism (feelings of danger, uncertainty, etc.) just merely exist in your mind, but without incessantly trying to counter them, fight them, or explain them away.

It could kind of go like this:  Say you’re lying down to go to sleep for the night, and something reminds you of the thought of losing your job.  This causes you to feel a bit uneasy.  You feel fearful, so your natural reaction is to try to find ways to counter and eliminate the fear (danger).  You may then start to analyze the last couple of weeks at your job, looking for signs or evidence that may disprove this fear (in other words, looking for positive happenings that show your company is not thinking of laying people off).  You may indeed not find anything which helps quench the fear mechanism, so you start re-hashing other aspects of recent days at the office.  Did you read any reports that evidence the success of your company?  Has human resources disclosed any recent news that points toward job stability?  Did the last quarterly earnings report show your firm as being profitable?

So while thinking through everything, more and more thoughts of uncertainty may arise, leading you to think through other scenarios.  These subconscious triggers are infiltrating your conscious mind, and after a while, you look at the clock, and realize that you have been lying awake for a couple hours, and its getting late!

Let’s trace back to where this all started.  The first trigger was the subconscious thought that popped into your mind.  Something reminded you of the thought of losing your job.  This may have been entirely generated by your subconscious, but it activated your fear mechanism, which in turn caused you to direct your conscious thoughts to it, in an effort to quell the fear and danger that feels so real.  But since there is uncertainty involved, there is no one thing that can really explain it all away.  What this means is that, whether you spend 5 seconds thinking about it or 5 hours, you may usually find that the end result is the same – no real solution has been accomplished - and you are left feeling drained, stressed, and anxious.

The main point to remember is that you can help prevent yourself from going down this path toward prolonged stress, which leads to fatigue and other issues, just by consciously changing how you react to thoughts of uncertainty, and the accompanying fear that results.

As mentioned earlier, when your subconscious generates a worrisome thought, then purposely just try to let that thought exist and be there, without trying to counter it and without trying to quell the fear it creates by going through the motions.  Make room for it, all the while realizing two things:

1.  You have done the best you can, given the resources that you have, to minimize any negative effects that could be caused by the seemingly present danger at hand.  There is no reason to try to re-hash it all, because it is natural for a person to try to minimize danger and negativity when it comes to situations that impose them.

2.  The world is full of variables and things which you cannot control.  You accept this, and will make the most of whatever may happen.

As much as your mind may try to explain everything and seek absolute certainty, it is not possible.  As a result, it is of much benefit to allow space in your mind for things that are fearsome to you, but which cause your conscious mind to pursue a futile effort of certainty.

But you may ask:  “Don’t these thoughts cause anxiety in and of themselves, therefore warranting a reduction in that anxiety by trying to satisfy their need for a solution?”

Don’t be fooled by this.  Like I have mentioned, this can many times be a futile effort, therefore wasting mental energy searching for non-existent certainty.

“But these fearsome thoughts still cause anxiety?  What to do then?”

This is an important element of this process.  When you accept the low-level anxiety that a sudden worrisome thought produces, and allow room for it to be there, without trying to explain it away, then that thought (and the accompanying anxiety) will pass.  Your mind will naturally shift its attention and focus when you are not drawing attention to the worrisome thoughts by attempting to eliminate them and trying to explain them away.

Give it a try next time.  When a troublesome thought arises, you will likely be able to determine right away if it is a valid, tangible fear that requires immediate attention, or if it is something that does not have a definitive solution or answer.  When uncertainty and lack of immediacy is present, then purposefully try to shift your focus, without having to come to a conclusion and generate an answer to the fear the has reared its head.  Instead, you could go work on a hobby.  You could read a pleasant book.  You could go for a walk, play sports, listen to music, or hundreds of other things that can occupy your consciousness.  Also, if you happen to be trying to go to sleep, then focus on your breathing.  Take some deep breaths, and concentrate on the action of inhaling and exhaling.  Just this shift of focus itself may help you enter a more relaxed state, and keep your consciousness away from the ever-present fear that these times have generated.

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A continuation of this post…

It’s baffling to think about really how much the world does revolve around money.  It really does make the world go ‘round.  This is ever so present by the current economic downturn the world is experiencing.

But the whole scope of it all is really confusing, unless you’re a fine-tuned economist.

It’s almost like organized chaos – everything seems so tumultuous when you turn on the TV and watch the news, when you hear about it at work, or how it is such a common denominator in casual conversation with others.

What’s also quite common is the fear that has resulted.  People are scared, so they are taking sometimes drastic actions to protect themselves.  This, of course, is a natural reaction.  When there seems to be danger looming, our instincts tell us to take action.

But is the danger over amplified?  Of course this is up for speculation, but of course there is danger; hence, there are fearful reactions.

The overall sense of abundance and security that many people are used to feeling is becoming threatened by this danger that we keep hearing about.  Our neighbors are losing their homes to foreclosure.  Our friends are losing their jobs.  The investment accounts are losing their value.  Prices are rising.  Education is becoming too expensive.  And on, and on, and on.  What a mind spin this can cause!  Turning on the news can just give us all a big headache and rush of anxiety.  All this bad news causes us to think “what if it happened to me?”

We don’t know what is around the corner, but we want answers, so our minds conjure up a variety of worrisome scenarios.  What if we lose our jobs and can no longer afford to put the kids through college?  What if we can’t pay the mortgage?  What if we lose our retirement?  What if the economy doesn’t recover soon?  What will we do?

What if we’re thinking about things all wrong?

Fear breeds uncertainty, and it is this uncertainty that is creating undue stress for many of us.

When we feel we must be certain of everything, and cannot tolerate any what ifs with regards to the current situation, our minds start to race.  We cannot get it out of our heads, because we cannot find the certainty we need.  Our minds are looking toward the future, and wanting to know when everything is going to get better.  We keep trying to find answers, but they are nowhere to be found.  We keep trying to overanalyze if we have made the right decisions, only to find a myriad of other questions.  We try to find blame for what is going on, but that just adds more resentment and negative feelings.  Everything seems more and more complicated, stressful, and frustrating.  How can we help ourselves?

If you can identify with these scenarios, you can stop this fearsome cycle while still taking steps to ensure that you have your bases covered financially.

Acceptance. Now it is natural to feel a sense of angst with regards to what is going on.  There has been incredible greed and mismanagement by the powers that be out there, so when I say “acceptance,” by no means am I saying that anyone should become complacent.  What I am saying is that, in your own personal life, accepting whatever situation you are in, while committing to weather it to its fullest extent, with a goal in mind of coming through as unscathed as possible, will only help you reduce stress.

Let me explain.  When you try to avoid, escape, or sugarcoat your situation, and look at it with a sense of denial or extreme negativity, then it just makes it harder to live with.  When you are always trying to escape whatever pain is at hand, the process that you may use to assuage it may end up causing you more complications in the long run.  In many ways, it may hinder progress toward a long-term solution, and this hindrance may only exacerbate the anxiety in general.

When you are accepting something for what it is, in many ways, it can help you let go of the negativity associated with it, allowing more room to make the adjustments necessary to live with your situation and make the most of it.  When you perceive something as something you must accept and deal with, while being determined to work toward better days, then your current reality will just become more bearable.

Now this may give you some things to ponder to start with, and as this will be an ongoing discussion that may cover a couple more posts, I will leave off here for now.  Check back soon for a continuation…

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Tags: conquering fear, fear and the economy, making the most of the recession, the economy and fear

Before all of this financial calamity, so seemingly present everywhere, did you really think much about “the economy?”  What is it really?  Is the economy something true and real, or rather just a concept?

Let’s look at it this way:  The word “economy” has a wide variety of different usages and variations of definition, but I can’t seem to find one that aligns with the way it is portrayed in almost any medium in recent times.

What I am talking about is the fear that has manifested itself into this concept and encompassing term of the worldwide financial system.

Yes, “the economy” is a real concept, and it is very important.  But just as important is the way it is perceived.

This current perception needs a major overhaul.

Simply defined on Dictionary.com in the most pertinent way, an economy in the broader sense of the word is “the management of the resources of a community, country, etc., esp. with a view to its productivity.”  With excessive fear-mongering, this “management” can get blown way off course.

Yes, there are some pretty depressing and grim financial scenarios happening all over, but the fear that these situations breed has been quite contagious, causing a ripple effect that just exacerbates the state of the current happenings.  When left uncontained, this fear can spread quickly, just like a nasty virus.

When everything is constantly perceived as doom and gloom everywhere you turn, it can subconsciously alter behavior, even if there is nothing imminent around the corner that may affect something personally.

Does this mean that you should not prepare yourself for the unexpected and not worry whatsoever about what is happening around you?  Certainly not.  You may have loved ones who have been seriously affected by layoffs, home foreclosures, excessive debt, etc.  Since these scenarios are so close to you, it may be hard to usher them away without thinking too deeply into them.

Again, there is danger and uncertainty with what is going on with regards to the recession.  But the major difference between being paralyzed with fear and just going with the flow and taking things as they come, without excessive worry, all lies in your perception.

With the 24-hour news cycle constantly chirping away in your ear minutely analyzing every single iota of every bad situation out there, the awareness of it all that subconsciously gets implanted in your mind may get a bit skewed.

Seriously, when awash in bad news all the time, it can really change the way you think about it all.  For example, you may have been going about your day in your regular way, and then you flip on the TV, only to hear that 7,000 more people got laid off, the Dow tumbled by another 300 points, the unemployment rate has went to a higher percentage, and home values continue to plummet.  Naturally, this will bring about fearful sensations.

But what if you didn’t flip on the TV, and just went about your day in your usual manner?  Would “the economy” really be directly affecting you?

Now of course, if you have found yourself in a dire financial situation that was caused by economical factors beyond your control, resulting from the recession, then yes, it may be directly affecting you.

If not though, then you are probably carrying out your daily life in a way that is not much inherently different than before.  So if you subtract the constant barrage of bad news from it that may be skewing your approach to things, then is “the economy” really something that should be at the forefront of your mind?

And even if it has had a negative impact upon you, then the same thing applies.  Take away the things that trigger fear, and the situation is still there.  But it’s how you perceive it that can make the difference between being petrified about it, or for you to be in a calm mindset enough to accept and be at peace with it, and work toward the solution with more of a clear head, which will only increase your productivity.

It really is all about the perception.  Also, it is about how you manage your own “economy,” which is your personal financial world – your income, your expenses, your savings, etc.  When you can make the most of a seemingly bad situation by taking fear out of the equation, and really buckle down in a manner most appropriate for your situation, you may see that your own personal “economy” may really be strong enough to weather the storm, despite all that you hear every day.

Check back soon for a continuation of this, and a discussion of some ways to lessen the fear and anxiety that may be unnecessarily plaguing you during these “economic times.”

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Tags: conquering fear, fear and the economy, making the most of the recession, the economy and fear