Suggestions for Stress Relief

Agreed, the economy absolutely stinks right now and all indicators show that recovery will be a very arduous task. Unemployment remains at record highs. Store fronts and large retail centers have tons of 'space available' signs. Restaurants who were neighborhood fixtures have shut their doors. Professional sports teams are struggling to fill seats (Tampa Bay had empty seats for playoff games) even when offering special deals. Broadway shows are offering tickets for $26.50 (Phantom of the Opera comes to mind). I imagine retailers must be cringing at the thought of what the upcoming holiday season will look like.

As I walk around my home community of Hillsborough NJ and as I also travel around Union County where my office is located, I continually see one thing on most every one's faces - STRESS. Please do not think I live in a glass house. I feel the stress as well, especially with an underemployed wife and my career being heavily based on employers adding to their existing staff. There are very few of us out there who have not been negatively impacted by the global economy and unfortunately, the further you are from the upper echelon economically, the longer it will take for the recovery to become evident to you.

How do we keep this stress from putting us in the hospital or even worse? It is not an easy question to answer but I do have some thoughts. Set aside time each week to clear your head. Whether it is as simple as scheduling time to take a 30 minute walk several times a week or planning an affordable evening out (perhaps Chinese takeout and a free movie by hitting the on demand button on your cable screen to save $$) or a weekly trip to the public library to browse reading material and unwind for an hour or two. If you are not employed or working part-time, take a few hours a week away from your job search to refresh your brain by doing some volunteer work. Find a free concert or art display to check out in your area. The point is, find a way to unwind a little and the results will be amazing.

Those employers who are actually hiring will sense stress a block away. While most do understand the issues we are all dealing with, they want to see you are capable of checking them at the door. My suggestions barely scratch the surface. Be creative! Find something simple to help ease the stress that is undoubtedly cluttering up your life!