I've been feeling rather glum lately and I think that I have identified the cause... As I was sitting at work today contemplating when exactly I wanted to strap on the old hardhat and head into the mill, it occurred to me that we still are not running. While John and I have managed to stay protected in our little bubble and avoid any direct effects of the current economic state(with the exception of our 401k's ~ which we luckily will not need anytime soon), if I look at my work environment our economic state is hitting me smack dab in the middle of my face --- everyday.
For an environment that typically produces 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to be reduced to nil, it is very scary. The outlook is bleak as well. The projection is that we will not be running for the remainder of the month. Yikes. While we have avoided layoffs thus far no one can deny the worsening state of the economy, and without improvements, what we have avoided has to be inevitable, right?
Unfortunately, I have yet to the find the crystal ball that will define or shed light upon our future state. So, the question, how do we stay positive in negative times?
It is difficult to stay encouraged in tough times, as there is so much negativity around. I try to focus on my own life and things that are going well within it rather than getting too wrapped up in the media and what is going on with everyone else. Sounds selfish, maybe, but I think it's a good coping mechanism. I think that people who are older are more upset about everything as they don't have the time that younger people do to make up for the losses (like in the 401(k)s as you mentioned.) And because the Baby Boomers are such a huge segment of our population, and are the ones most concerned about everything, they are what we hear all the time. I try to listen with half an ear and focus on my own life.
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