USA TODAY reportsthat this ferschlugginer economic crisis is hitting us where it really hurts: in our bodies. They say if you have your health you have everything. Now, thanks to all those idiot risk managers, bankers, real estate brokers, and assorted members of the $500 million exit-package club, we won’t even have that.
Since last year, when the spectre of all this nonsense began spoiling our lunch, polls reveal that:
- Irritability and anger is up 10% – some 60% of all respondents are more pissed off than they were last year;
- Fatigue is up 2%, with more than half staying awake long enough to report a problem;
- Sleeplessness is up 4%, which is a shame for all those fatigued people;
- Unhealthful eating is up 5%, and why not? We have to enjoy something, don’t we?
- Stress around relationships, family health problems, housing costs, personal health, job stability and of course money and the economy are also up, in some cases dramatically.
At the same time, the paper reports that 65% of all people now check their BlackBerry at least once an hour for their e-mail, with more than 40% dipping in every 30 minutes or less. I know what they’re talking about. It took me 20 minutes to write this and I checked my e-mail three times. Yes. I’m demented.
What do we do to manage this stress? As far as I can see, nothing fundamental is going to change any time soon, so management of the unacceptable, unpalatable and unpleasant becomes a crucial life issue. Nothing seems to work very well – hence the climbing numbers in all negative categories – but solutions reportedly include:
- Listening to music
- Exercising
- Reading
- Sleeping
- Watching TV
- Drinking
- Smoking
- Going to religious services
It seems that more people go to their local church, synagogue, mosque or yurt (21%), than drink or smoke (18% and 16%, respectively). Of course, eating to reduce stress beats out all of those, at 34%. The effects of having a big sandwich with a couple or three frosty ones followed by a big, juicy Macanudo has yet to be ascertained. Want to join me?
Perhaps most interesting, in the end, is the fact that in spite of all the turmoil we are now experiencing on the macro scale, most Americans cite a thoroughly non-economic source as the top source of their stress. Can you guess what it is? Their spouse.
I find that kind of encouraging, don’t you?
It seems the daily news makes a person wish they had gone the hippy route and had taken up smoking the wacky weed.
Think about it, just sitting there with a silly grin and a glazed look in your eyes watching the whole world unravel like a slow motion replay of the titanic sinking. Ooops I just described George Bush’s demeanor.
Of course theres always the regular way of handling todays bad news, check your email, yell at the kids, argue with the wife, and generally get high blood pressure as you hear about one exectutive after another testify how he was able to sell his stock and save his money but not the investors money.
Look on the bright side, years from now when you are dead, all of this will mean nothing.