Friday Five: Avoiding the Recession Blues
Posted: March 7th, 2008
By: Zach Heller
Category: Friday Five, Lawline.com, Opinion Corner

It’s March.  Already I can hear the talk of March Madness down the road.  Meanwhile, the country is encountering a little of its own version of March Madness with the state of the economy.  Everywhere you look you are bombarded with messages of doom and gloom.  And today the new job report came out for February, with data that fully supports recession concerns.  But do not panic, because when people panic, that is when the real problems begin.  Luckily, we have a Friday Five full of advice to help you avoid the media craze.  Enjoy.

TOP 5 WAYS TO AVOID THE RECESSION PANIC

1. Turn off your TV.  Recently it seems that every single channel on TV worth watching has news shows and updates.  You cannot watch the news without negative economic reports, and since you cannot watch TV without watching the news, avoid it altogether.  The only TV allowed will be movies, or anything pre-recorded without the commercial breaks.

2. Turn off your radio.  See #1.  The only radio allowed are satellite stations with non-stop music and no commercial breaks, which permit brief news updates that you do not want, or need, to hear.

3. Turn off your computer. I would say just stay off of your internet browser on this one but I know most of us will check our email constantly.  Not even your email is safe from news updates these days.  And the news media is the enemy here.

4. Work Hard.  This suggestion comes from two different angles.  The harder you work, the less you will be able to think about anything else, especially the terrible state of the economy around you.  In addition, it will help you avoid becoming a statistic on next month’s job report.

5. Keep Smiling.  If you are going to buy into the media frenzy that is being stirred up, keep a smile on your face so you do not spread it around.  Panic is like a disease, a very contagious one at that.  So keep smiling and you won’t get those around you as depressed as you are.

So there it is, take it or leave it.  Remember this, recessions are temporary, and the media is greedy.  Enjoy your weekend!

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Comments
Well said Zach! The media is obessed with doom and gloom..
Comment By: David Schnurman - March 8, 2008