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For Immediate Release
Contact: Jackie O’Neal
O’Neal Media Group
jackieoneal@helloworld.com
(609) 334-8621

How to Cope When The Economy is Taking A Toll On Your Mental Health And Marriage

According to a USA Today article “Mental stress spirals with economy”a recent Gallup-Healthways poll shows a lot of people are suffering in this scary economic crisis.

Americans became increasingly stressed out and experienced worsened mental health — a trend that continues today, according to a landmark Gallup-Healthways poll out this week.

Done nearly every day in 2008 and still ongoing, the survey of 355,334 people is believed to be the largest, longest and most thorough poll showing how emotional well-being shifts with economic changes.

Stress shot up over 2008, peaking in the fall and winter as the economic crisis deepened, then continuing high through February. The 10 least happy days of 2008 all were in the last quarter.

•Emotional well-being overall dropped, too, driven largely by declines in mental health for the poorest people.

•Americans’ moods were ultra-sensitive to economic news. Well-being plunged on days when the Dow lost big and with reports of high jobless claims.

Dr. Beth Erickson has practiced marriage and family therapy for over three decades since completing her post-doctoral program at The Family Institute, which is part of Northwestern University. and author of three books: Marriage Isn’t For Sissies: 7 Simple Keys to Unlocking the Best Part of Your Life, Longing for Dad: Father Loss and Its Impact, and Helping Men Change: The Role of the Female Therapist. offers couples these tips for alleviating stress:

In broad brushstrokes, there are three basic types of responses couples have to the current economic turmoil – or any trying situation, for that matter. See if you recognize yourself.
1. You wall yourselves off from each other emotionally. You take their fears, and insecurities and go down inside with them, where your spouse is protected from or not able to be privy to them. Then your marriage is at risk of extramarital affairs, and you, or your spouse are subject to depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence in an attempt to manage your fears and frustrations. These “solutions,” of course, compound the problem.
2. You blame each other for your current situation, rather than taking responsibility for your part in the problem or in what might solve it. “If only’s” and “You should have’s” only lay down the gauntlet for fights. And they do nothing constructive to solve the problem(s) created by the current financial mess. Then your interactions usually result in conflict and accomplish nothing except greater desperation and isolation.
3. The most constructive response to this or any crisis is to talk with your spouse about your fears and disappointments. If these conversations become explosive and threaten to drive a wedge between you, you know to table it until cooler heads prevail. You understand that your spouse may be too overwhelmed to provide empathy and support. Your next best solution is to journal and confide in a trusted friend, family member, or colleague. You do not to fight about your situation as this will only exacerbate the problem.
Top 3 Do’s and Don’ts:
Do’s:
• Mutually share your feelings.
• Take responsibility for: 1) your part in your situation if you have behaved in ways that make your financial situation more dire; or 2) what you can do to work towards a solution.
• Take at least one action a day to improve your situation, even if it just means clipping coupons or driving less.
Don’ts:
• Begin statements with “you,” because that provides an excuse to blame your spouse and excuse yourself from taking responsibility.
• Worry obsessively. If that is difficult for you, give yourself 10 minutes a day to worry and even “disasterize” about all the dreadful events that could happen. Then, if you start worrying again, remind yourself that you aren’t allowed to worry again until tomorrow. 
• Frustrate yourself by trying to control what you can’t control. Instead, focus on what you can.
A Final Word:
There are three entities in any marriage: spouse A, spouse B, and the marriage. Take care of that third entity if you value it, so that your marriage doesn’t become a casualty of these tough economic times.