I don’t know about you, but for me the past few weeks have been … rough. Harrowing at times, even. So much is happening so quickly, it’s hard to know what to think or where to put my attention. And politically, I get that that’s the point – a certain administration’s willingness to “flood the zone” is meant to put his opponents on their heels. And for a minute or two, I must admit it worked on me – until I regained some equilibrium and found my path to service. In my case, hyperlocal service, volunteering with groups near and dear to my heart right here in my own community.

So much is going on, I’d be here for the rest of time if I listed it all. But what I want to do today is focus on where current events and my Recessionista tendencies intersect – namely, economic security and all that it entails.

We can tackle this from a few different ways, really, and get to the same result regarding my being on the cusp of freaking out. In random order:

• Tariffs (both real and perceived).
• A sudden lack of government oversight on consumer protection and finance laws.
• A sudden lack of funding for various government-backed grants, which trickles (or perhaps floods) down to regular Americans.
• A rollercoaster of a stock market.
• Inflation! Yes, still, despite crazy candidate promises.
• Some random techie bros now have my SSN and bank account data. (What could go wrong?)
• Oh, yeah, also, the fear of unemployment due to a sag in the economy.

And reader, if I told you I wasn’t up at 3:30 most nights pondering one of these topics at length, I would be lying. I don’t think I’m alone in this! We’re really in a pickle at the moment, as my grandmother would say.

But after three or so weeks of standing right at the precipice of Freakout City, I think I’m finally beginning to take some baby steps back from the edge. Perhaps you’d like to join me? Here’s how.

All of the topics on that list above are things we simply cannot control. Oh, sure, we can keep ourselves as employable as possible, save our money more fervently than usual, keep watch over our credit reports and diversify our stock portfolio to keep it from suffering as badly should another dip (or worse) occur. But we ourselves (unless one of you lovely readers is the president, in which case, drop me a line because I have a few notes to impart) cannot control the impetus behind any of these docket items. And freaking out, or standing on the verge of it, for weeks at a time isn’t great for health. So what do we do?

What we do is control what we can control. We live for today and keep an eye on the future. We plan our trips (if you’re into travel, as I am) or buy our concert tickets or make our dinner reservations and or buy our juicy magazine subscriptions and mentally prepare to jettison all of these plans if circumstances change. We don’t let the fear of impending doom steal our joy – which, by the way, is not just found in the trips and the concert tickets and the nice meals at fun restaurants, but in the day to day as well, the low-key dinner parties at friends’ houses, the “In the Heat of the Night” binges on the sofa, the good book plucked from a hefty To Be Read pile or from our local library.

That’s the crux of it, really: Don’t let the fear of what may be to come steal our joy today. Or else we’ve mourned twice: Once today, and once if – IF! – the worst case happens.

I’m not saying go out and spend all your money and carry on as though life will be merry forever. But, frankly, if you’re reading a blog called The Kitchen Recessionista, you’re probably not doing that anyway. What I am saying is that to give up now, to stop controlling the very few things we can control and instead enter a persistent panic mode, is akin to suffering the same fate twice. We need to plan, to prepare, to gird our loins (I’ve always loved that term) for what might be to come on any economic front. Heck, we frankly need to look sharp for a possible recession on the horizon. But we can do that and live joyously. We can do both. And it was that second part – the joyous part – that I haven’t been doing for the better part of three weeks. And now that I am again, wow, is life more Technicolor than it was at the end of January.

I also recognize I’m writing this from a point of privilege. I’m a white, middle-class woman. I don’t have a trans child who is no longer receiving adequate care; I’m not at risk of being deported due to my citizenship situation. And isn’t that all the more reason to stop panicking, to control what we can control and help those who need support? Joy isn’t just dinner parties and travel, you know. Joy is often found in checking in on a friend or a neighbor, or giving a warm and welcoming smile to a total stranger who passes through the food bank line on Saturday. Joy doesn’t have to be frivolous. Joy can bring additional meaning to life. In fact, I dare say it should.

If you too have been on the cusp of freaking out, believe me, I hear you. I see you. I AM you. But we can’t be up there on that ledge forever. There comes a point when we either need to jump – and please, don’t do that – or back away slowly and find another path. The path to joy isn’t perfect. But sometimes it’s all we have. 

:)