Recession Depression? How To Stress-Proof Your Mind During Times Of Economic Downturn

We are now living through a recession. That means an awful lot of people have lost their jobs, many more are going to be laid off, and lots will feel the economic impact within their own wallets and their own lives. 

Thanks to research conducted after the 2008 market crash, we can now confidently make a claim that already makes all the intuitive sense in the world — economic hardship caused by a recession can have a great negative impact on people's mental health. Concretely, those folks who were hardest-hit by the 2008 recession were 50 percent more likely to suffer from clinical depression than before. They were 20 percent less likely to report that they were in excellent or very good mental health, and had a 35 percent increased risk of having to rely on antidepressant medications. 

What makes you vulnerable to mental health struggles following a disaster?

Disasters and mass violence that impact large numbers of people all at the same time — and both the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic struggles that are coming our way certainly qualify — cause nearly everyone affected to experience stress in the moment.

Only some of the people who are seriously stressed in the midsts of large crises later develop diagnosable mental health disorders such as major depressive disorder, an anxiety disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder, however. 

Why are some people more vulnerable to mental health struggles in the face of adversity? Your personal risk of falling victim to depression, anxiety, or related disorders has a lot to do with your level of resilience — a concept that, according to the American Psychological Association, basically means a person's ability to adapt to various kinds of stress, and new life circumstances. 

Risk factors that make you less resilient, and more vulnerable to the effects of stress, include:

• You were severely and personally affected by the disaster — and in these current global circumstances, that could mean you had COVID-19, someone you love was seriously ill with it or passed away from COVID-19, you are an essential worker who witnessed a lot of suffering, or you lost your job or are about to, with all the spin-off consequences that can have.
• You suffered additional personal stress after the initial disaster, and that could, for instance, mean losing your job after the COVID-19 pandemic — one stress very much builds on the stress that came before it.
• You already faced numerous hardships before the disaster — belonging to a minority group, having a mental health disorder, or having suffered trauma in the past, all make you less resilient to stress. 
• You don't have as much social support as you need. People who can't rely on others, emotionally and practically, to help them through hard times are less resilient.

1. To stress-proof your life during a recession, stop worrying

US Veterans Affairs list rumination as one risk factor that makes you vulnerable to stress. Ruminating means focusing on all the negative thoughts and feelings your mind throws your way, mulling them over all the time and trying to see all their angles. There is, of course, a less scientific word for this term — worry. 

Personal safety expert and author Gavin de Becker dubbed worry "the fear you manufacture". Fear, he explained in his book The Gift of Fear, is wholly involuntary and always the result of something happening in your environment right now. De Becker further points out that we often use worry to distract ourselves from difficult emotions we think we can't cope with. 

To name a couple of examples:

• If you've been worrying that impending income cuts means you won't be able to make rent anymore, start looking for cheaper homes right now, while at the same time reminding yourself that you're still housed and still OK.
• If you've been worrying that you're going to be out of a job soon, start applying for new jobs right now. True, there's no guarantee you'll be hired, but not applying does guarantee that you won't. 

2. To stress-proof your life during a recession, care for your body the best you can

To offer a handy checklist, caring for your body generally means:

• Getting enough sleep — at least eight hours, for most adults. 
• Stay hydrated; remember to drink plenty of water. 
• Eat as well as you can afford to, and use a nutrition-checking app, if you can, to monitor if you are getting the right vitamins, minerals, calories, and protein. 
• Move your body regularly. It doesn't have to be at a gym. Going for a walk is free.
• Take a break from it all once in a while. To de-stress, you need time to yourself. A walk in the park, breathing exercises, meditation, free Tai Chi classes, participating in religious services, reading a good book... the possibilities are broader than you think, even if you're broke right now. 

3. To survive a recession without excessive stress, see where you can cut your spending right now

The COVID-19 pandemic has already severely changed our lives. For me, at least, lockdown meant that I wasn't physically able to engage in the cash-drain traps I previously frequently fell into, like buying non-essential items, splurging on a restaurant meal, or going to the cinema. I didn't feel deprived, because shops and restaurants were actually closed.

If you already got used to reduced spending during the pandemic, keeping it up is a wonderful idea. Don't go out and get used to non-essential things again; it will be easier on your mental health. 

Where else can you cut back? Overspending is ultimately a great source of stress, and saving whatever you can — even if it's so you can still afford things you really need, like the water bill — should help slash those worries, because you'll know you are doing everything in your power.

Don't forget to replace spendy activities you used to enjoy with other, hopefully equally-enjoyable, but free ones. You still need fun in your life!

4. To reduce stress during a recession, find or embrace your purpose

Then, incorporate the answer into your goal list and be proactive about getting there. 

Your purpose, as you see it, doesn't have to be anything grand. It could range from making sure your children laugh often and genuinely, to being there for friends who need a listening ear, to volunteering somewhere you care about. It could even be something as simple as a commitment personal growth or learning, or something as practical as applying for at least one job every day. 

A final word

Stress is an integral part of life, and nobody completely evades it. The point, here, is to avoid adding more stress to your life by creating it yourself in one way. As they say in AA (well, loosely "translated"), do your hardest to change the things you can — but don't waste your time fighting those you can't, or worrying about them, for that matter. 

Take comfort in knowing that bad things suck, but they usually don't last forever. While you're down on your luck, millions are there with you. We'll get through this, too.