Difficult economic times are presenting major challenges that I hear about on a daily basis from my patients. In nearly 25 years of practice, there has never been a topic that patients have so consistently talked about than their anxieties regarding the ongoing financial crisis.

Even the anxiety-provoking aftermath of 9/11 did not produce such a widespread sense of personal impact. Concerns then were primarily about what had happened in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. There was at the very least a physical distance. These financial problems know no boundaries. They live everywhere and affect everyone.

Those who were counting on retiring soon have had to suspend their plans because of the dwindling value of their 401k plans. People who had been saving money for their children’s college education are rethinking their strategies.

Many of my patients, whether they are working in relatively new jobs or have been working at the same place for several years, now find themselves on the outside looking in at one of the toughest job markets in recent history. A growing number of patients with 10 or more years of experience on the job have reported being let go and are now struggling to find something else to do.  And it is only just beginning.

They, like so many, are asking the same types of questions. What do I do now? How can I change gears and “reinvent” myself when I have been doing the same thing for so long? Why me? Is this what I get for a job well done after so many years? Where is the reward for loyalty?

I am certainly no financial expert, and I don’t pretend to have the answers to all of these questions. Often, I feel the best thing I can do is listen and be supportive of their efforts to keep moving ahead in their attempts to get back on their feet. The words of the late North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano come to mind, ”Don’t give up, don’t ever give up,” spoken near the end of his battle with brain cancer.

It can be easy  for us to feel sorry for ourselves as if that will make us feel better. As I have often told patients, you can send out engraved invitations to a pity party, but do not count on anyone else showing up. Even those who do have jobs but maybe have added responsibilities must be careful not to fall into the “Woe is me” trap. It’s pretty hard to talk about job satisfaction at a time when most people are simply satisfied to have a job.

Even so, we all need to look for activities, both work-related and outside the work world, that bring us satisfaction and hope that we will persevere to enjoy even brighter days in the days and months ahead.

blog comments powered by Disqus