Fear

NavyP-3 · Post by **NavyP-3** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:09 pm

So this is my first post and hopefully not my last. I was just wondering if anybody else has the same problem.

I simply live in fear that our economy is going to break down and I will not be able to take care of my family.

I know what the Word says but it doesn't always help. I have a great deal of stress ( I am a first year high school teacher) and I get angry very easily. I tend to snap at my wife and kids a lot.

I try to medicate myself by shutting everything out and reading about my hobbies but then I feel guilty for not taking solace in the Word.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

lion24 · Post by **lion24** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:56 pm

Hi Steve!! Don't worry, you are not alone. I don't have that fear, but we all manifest fear in our own way. To you it may be the economy and to others it may be a thousand other things. I think we focus on something to worry about and then it escalates from there. Then we feel guilty for a million reasons. Trust me, I know!! For me, being a Christian, it says you are in sin if you worry and then that makes me feel guilty. I trust in God completely, but yet I still worry about everything. He knows what are weaknesses are and thank goodness He forgives us. It's going to be ok. We just have to learn to deal with this and when I do I will certainly let you know =)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 4:13 pm

Hi Steve.

I've just read someone else's post on the very subject.

It's good that you have the program because it will definitely help you with those irrational thoughts.

derfy · Post by **derfy** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:09 pm

hi navy, yes i have that fear. the economy is going down fast. no,you are not alone. we are in a mess. things are changing. we have to find a way to deal with it. it's not going to get better.it is too far gone. i am learning to do without things that i once thought i would always have. watching my utility bill's. try to lower them.drive only to work. stop eating out and ordering pizza

.i'm getting tighter and cheaper. that's all we can do. good luck dude............................malikye

krisse · Post by **krisse** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:58 am

Malikye,

Dude, I thought the whole point here was that the fears were irrational. Please tell me this post was a joke.

I am not interested in having a pity party here or playing into my fears by talking about getting cheaper.

Seriously, how was this supposed to help?

R/

Steve

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:31 am

I don't think Malikye phrased his post correctly. I think we need to deal with separating irrational fears and realistic fears. You may be dealing with an irrational fear of not being able to provide for your family, but, at the same time, the economy is in bad shape. Today's revelation that JP Morgan is buying Bear Stearns for a nickel is another indication of how bad things are.

However, this doesn't mean that YOU won't be able to provide for your family. But it does mean that things are likely to get worse for a lot of Americans before they get better.

To me, this means that investing in getting yourself as healthy and strong as you can be, is a great idea. This will make you better able to provide for your family no matter what.

RodH · Post by **RodH** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:57 am

Fear is good only when it motivates us to action.

Worrying incessantly about the economy (or the countless other things we anxiety-types worry about) is relatively pointless if all we do is worry. However, we can come up with a plan of action as to how we can protect ourselves and our loved ones to the best of our ability and then...just keep livin'!

Best,
Dawn

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:26 am

Wonderful respone Christian....you touched home with me as well. Thank you for taking the time to send that. Very well put. I like the bumper sticker quote. Have a blessed day!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:29 am

Hi Steve...read your post and also saw Malikye's response as well as yours. Malikye's position on the economy was a little doom and gloom. Your fears are just that...fear, nothing more. Some fears are irrational, and some are not. Your fear about the economy in itself is not irrational, but the degree to which you take it is. For instance, I would guess that your fear is that the economy will break down, come to screaching halt, you will lose your job, you won't be able to take care of and provide for your family, and so on. That kind of thinking takes a general concern of the economy (legitimate) to a irrational level. You get yourself worked up to the point that you are likely catastrophising. This is point where you have to realize that it is your anxiety talking.
I have concerns about the economy as well....I have a wife and three young children, and I, just like you, want to ensure that I am providing for them. Are we going into a recession? Perhaps, but we have had recessions before, and we've always come through them. There is and always will be an ebb and flow with the economy. If economy does go into a recession, the world is not going to end. You have to remember that you are a strong and capable person. The odds of our economy going into recession now are pretty good...the odds that the economy will "crash"...pretty unlikely. I think the key here is your self talk....how are you talking to yourself? Is it constantly negative, not only about the economy itself, but also your ability to deal with what ramifications may come your way as a result?
I am in the early weeks of the program right now, but one of the most striking things I have learned is what a negative person I am, and how I am responsible for all of my negative thinking, especially about myself and my capabilities. I am the cause of my anxiety, not only because of how I think negatively, but also because of my self talk in how I constantly put myself down, and doubt my own abilities. Believe me, I know it's easier to say this to someone else than believe it about yourself, but each one of us (and this includes you)has wonderful talents and abilities, and that includes functioning in our economy, taking care of and providing for our families, and so on. Life sometimes throws a curveball, and the key to dealing successfully with it is the belief in yourself. Something to rememeber from Swindle's "Attitude", "....Life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:46 am

Congratulations to those of you that have jobs. I was terminated last week due the downturn in the housing market. My wife, who has a Master's, is in jail because she is mentally ill and we live in VA. We live in the poorset county in VA, Northampton. There are no jobs here except for laborers and gov't, which all go to cousins of our leaders. There is no movie theater and no bowling alley in the entire county to give you an idea of the wasteland we live in. When we were both employed that didn't matter. I have house full of cats, so I can't just pack up and look for work.
So, the economy fear is all relative. While I spend away what's left of my meager savings, those of you who have jobs should evaluate whether or not YOUR JOB is in jeopardy. Teaching seems good, except that tax breaks for the mega-wealthy have resulted in relative cuts to all social programs including school systems.

I'm an educated white guy in my 50's with bad knees and back. I'm an office worker in a place with no offices. Nobody, at least not us, can influence the greater econony, so worry9ng about that is irrational, to me. Remember though, we are all in this together and even if we eat gov't cheese, we will eat.I've always said that I have slept in a car before and I can do it again. Never could afford kids, so I don't have that burden, but maybe they could have been there for me.