We’ve talked about stress in the past, and I was thinking today about all the things in the world that can give us stress. Big picture things. We’ve talked about the personal things. But big-picture macro things in the world? “2024” rhymes with “war,” and certainly, that is happening worldwide. The United States is in a shooting war. So are several other countries. And all the things that come along with war.

Meanwhile the United States, and actually a lot of other countries as well, are having elections soon. And in the United States, it has become a joke. It would be funny if these idiots didn’t have so much power. And that makes it scary.

In a financial newsletter, I read that several rating agencies have downgraded the United States. This has to do with the government’s financial soundness. And we’ve reached a record level of national debt, such that every year, the United States government pays almost a trillion dollars in interest! We spend 900 billion on defense; the same amount is paid in interest on the debt. That is just mind-boggling. And people like me who are trying to look forward to a life without work in the corporate structure (you can call it retirement if you want), I think we have reason to be concerned about our investments, not only in government bonds but in what’s going to happen to the stock market as fiscal responsibility goes out the window.

I don’t want to be a downer, but there are many things causing big-picture stress. I don’t watch the news per se. As I said, I do read some financial information. But for the most part, I try not to get involved in the news. If it’s really important, I’m going to hear about it some other way, and I can get caught in a depressive spiral if I pay attention to what people are saying about what’s going on because, for some reason, it has always been more popular and lucrative to talk about the negative things in life. Sad but true.

To combat this and the associated stress, there are actually plenty of resources out there. I subscribe to a daily reflection email, which is good. I also get, at work, periodically, an email with a relaxation video. I think it’s Microsoft Viva. So, obviously, the corporate world has realized that it makes sense to help people combat stress.

Try to relax!

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-world-globe-facing-mountain-346885/