A recent Associated Press article by Jeannine Aversa shows that debt still has Americans feeling a great deal of stress. A recent AP poll found 46% are suffering from debt related stress and half of those describe the amount of stress as great.
It’s bad enough when you make bad decisions and end up in trouble. On the other hand when you save and sacrifice to provide for your future but still wind up in trouble, you can feel helpless and violated which really increases your stress.
Unemployment is still near 10% and those in charge seem more talented at increasing the national debt than putting people back to work. The poll shows those currently feeling the most stress have incomes below $50,000 even though they have only slightly increased their debt level.
It seems that most of us are worried things will get worse before they get better. I just heard that in the month of May 95% of jobs created were government jobs. Our taxes pay those salaries and government workers are currently paid more than private-sector jobs doing the same work. So we all have good reason to feel stress as well as anger right now.
The oil spill in the Gulf has also given us a lot to feel anxious about. Many are worried that their jobs related to the Gulf will never return. No one yet knows how bad the oil damage will be or how long it will last.
It also seems Obama doesn’t have a solution but will not take advice from experts and local leaders on any of their plans for protecting the coast. BP does seem to be trying their best to cap the leak but with little success. At present we are not even sure if the leak may spread as far as the Atlantic coast.
I hope with the November elections that we will get enough new leaders to change the direction of the economy to encourage business and job growth.
In the meantime, I suggest that you take any opportunity you can afford to enjoy family and friends to relieve your stress when possible. People don’t realize just how badly stress and anxiety can harm their health if they don’t control it. Don’t underestimate the value of a vacation or long weekends but only if you can afford it in these times.
If you already feel that stress and anxiety have gotten the best of you, you might want to consider a guide such as Conquering Stress or even get medical help. Don’t take stress for granted if it is already affecting your health, seek help.
For the sake of us all and our country, I hope our situation will improve as we go through the summer but I fear it will take the election to ignite some positive change. Until things do improve, I wish you the best and urge you to do what you can to manage the stress we are all dealing with now.
Best regards,
Charles Moore
P.S. For more details on the guide, Conquering Stress, simply click the link.
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