There is a wide body of research showing that job loss and economic insecurity are associated with the following negative effects on the family:
Increased risk of divorce
Harsher and less consistent parenting methods
Increased parental depression, anger, and anxiety
Increased risk of depression in children and decreased academic motivation
Increased risk of family dislocation: This is important because studies show that school and neighborhood relocation can be a bigger threat to teens than divorce in terms of mood, behavioral problems, and academic performance. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, children who change schools two or more times in a school year are twice as likely to perform below grade level in reading and math as students who remain in the same school.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Stay connected to your community. The more support you have from religious institutions and civic organizations, the better.
Let your family know how you're doing. If you're feeling irritable and are more likely to get angry, let them know so that they don't take it as personally. If you do get angry, apologize and let them know that it wasn't their fault.
Recognize that your annoyance with your spouse or child may stem from your anxiety and stress, rather than their behavior.
Don't feel guilty about not being able to buy your kids or spouse the latest greatest thing. Kids care much more about their parents being happy.
Try to avoid self-blame.
Don't catastrophize. Repeatedly telling yourself that your situation is hopeless will decrease your ability to think creatively about how to solve the problems created by your situation.
Keep your stress in check: If you weren't exercising before, now is a good
time to start. If you were exercising before, now would be a lousy time to stop.
Exercise. meditation, and yoga get a lot of press for one good reason- they
work. We now have ample evidence that those activities decrease anxiety and
depression, elevate mood, and increase overall psychological resilience.
Protect your marriage or intimate relationship from your anxiety. It is
tempting to vent your worries in the form of annoyance or anger on your partner
because you assume that he or she will understand; and maybe they will. However,
you also hurt the relationship that you need the most if your partner feels
blamed by you.
Dedicate a certain amount of time each day to work on bettering your situation. Action feels more
empowering than lack of action, even if the results are not immediate.
Stay involved in activities that make you happy. It may be tempting to shut
down and retreat in the face of financial worries, however, staying involved in
what makes you happy is not only better for your mood, it also
helps you to think more clearly.
About Dr.Coleman:
Dr.Coleman is a frequent guest on the Today Show, NPR, The BBC, and San Francisco's View from the Bay. He has also appeared on ABC 20/20, Good Morning America, America Online Coaches and numerous news programs for FOX, ABC, CNN, and NBC television. He is a psychologist in private practice with offices in San Francisco and Oakland, California and is a Senior Fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families. He has served on the clinical faculties of The University of California at San Francisco, The Wright Institute Graduate School of Psychology, and the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group. His advice has been featured in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today, The San Francisco Chronicle, Parenting Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and many others. He is also a contributing editor for Twins Magazine. Dr. Coleman is the author of four books and his books have been translated into Chinese, Croatian, and Korean, and are also available in the U.S., U.K., and throughout Europe.
>> Buy his book on Amazon
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