As I write today, I reflect on all the communications, discussions, and media exposure I have heard or read about recently on the economy and the unrest all over the world.  In my work I hear all the uncertainty in people’s voices, in their thoughts during  therapy sessions.  I try to sort out how much of it is the depression or anxiety influencing them and how much of it is the reality of the age we now live in?  I think it’s a bit of both.  In some ways I think this continued recession has humbled us, and yes we’ve suffered too but it has also brought us back to what matters most, people caring and connecting to each other.  I think we lost sight of what really matters a long time ago, it’s so easy to get caught up in the fast paced, un-emotional, materialistic, get ahead society.

When you take away the emphasis on all the things we’ve been socialized to think we needed such as our dependence on credit cards, the newest this or that, life seems much simpler.  I’m not ignoring the fact that we need jobs to live, to get the essential things, like good health care, but in the midst of all this political and economic chaos, try to get down to basics.  What is truly important to you?  Who are the people that matter most to you?  What can you do to work towards these priorities?  If you take a step each day, even little baby steps, that’s all that matters, you’re on your way!  We need to take care of ourselves and each other.

Oh, is it that easy?  No, it isn’t easy, we have to work on our lives everyday, even when we’re tired, frustrated, angry, sad and depressed and sick.  We have many challenges  ahead that don’t have easy answers or solutions, it’s more like we have ongoing problems we have to learn to live with.  It’s going to take time for things to change, just like when we want to change something in our life or in ourselves, it takes time, we have to practice and continually find ways to cope, adjust, express feelings and emotions and go on.  One of the most important elements is hope, and we can find hope in our lives everyday, in small things like flowers, animals, friendship, love, children playing or babies smiling, people walking together, good health, and I’m sure you have some of your own ideas.