Apparently, the US government is offering an “emotional rescue kit” prompted by these tough economic times. I find it kind of funny, mainly because if you’re unemployed and looking for work, who doesn’t display anxiety, irritability, apathy, etc. Are you supposed to be happy if you’re out of work or in a crappy work situation (although to be perfectly honest-I’m much happier out of work, but then again, I’m a little strange). I actually think that if you’re feeling anxious and worried and sad, you’re probably normal.
Just to be sure that my recession-based anxieties are more normal than this “emotional rescue kit” would have me believe, I sent this out to one of my friends who is experiencing her own recession based worries right now.
My friend wrote back:
“I don’t know if this makes me feel better or makes me think that I really should go and talk to a professional. The problem is that I can’t afford to take time off work and add another expensive medication to the list. The article was so spot on that it was scary.
From the article:
Of particular importance is helping people see the warning signs of depression, suicidal thinking and other serious mental illnesses, SAMHSA said.
These include, according to the website:
*Persistent sadness/crying [CHECK]
*Excessive anxiety [CHECK (unless it’s normal to have heart palpitations at least three times daily.)]
*Lack of sleep/constant fatigue [CHECK (I vary between getting 4-10 hours of sleep per night, depending on the amount of Tylenol PM I decide to take. I tend to take extra TPMs if I want to sleep more than 4 hours at a time, or if it’s like 8 pm and I’m just annoyed with the day and want to go to sleep rather than living through the rest of the day until bedtime.)]
*Excessive irritability/anger [CHECK (My husband can vouch for this.)]
*Increased drinking [CHECK (But there’s still nothing wrong with a six-pack-a-night, right?)]
*Illicit drug use, including misuse of medications [CHECK-minus (Unless you count the TPM situation.)]
The site directs people to caregivers and also offers tips on ways to reduce the causes of stress, such as finding a new job and refinancing mortgages.”
So I’m totally not alone. Most of us need an emotional rescue from these tough economic times. But guess what? The US govt is not helpful here. Like my friend noted, even if these were signs that we should talk to a professional-if you’re out of work or worried about your job, who can afford to take time off and go see a doctor and then possibly pay for expensive medication? Personally, I can’t afford to go to a doctor unless I get hit by a car or something. My insurance only covers crazy catastrophes. My dogs have been to the vet more than I’ve been to the doctor this past year-mainly because my dogs were able to secure a better insurance than I could ever secure for myself. There’s no way I’d go to the doctor to talk about my normal recession based anxiety. Not without some form of socialized healthcare to help me out. Until the government gets around to fixing healthcare, I guess I’ll have to continue to rely on gin and tonics, Gilmore girls and cupcakes to get me through the rough spots.
Or, in the alternative, my friend offered a quick and easy fix for these “issues”:
I WANT SOMEONE TO FIND ME A NEW JOB!!!!!
Yeah, that would pretty much solve it.
Here’s the link to see if you need an emotional rescue:
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE52U0R020090331
Lady in the Red 