Managing Adversity

Tough times can really take a toll on you: financially, mentally, emotionally, physically, etc. It’s important for you to be able to manage those areas and make it through the rough patches.

Financially: Especially in this economy, it’s important to plan for the future and really understand how to budget your money. Mint is a great website that links all of your accounts together so that you can see how much you’re spending on house payments, groceries, clothes, etc. It also has a corresponding iPhone App. Wesabe is another site similar to Mint, but with a social network emphasis as well. These sites can track exactly where your money is going, you can set budgets and receive alerts when you’re running out of money. This site from USA today has a large number of tools and articles geared towards a young, post-college group. There are articles about dealing with student loan debt, buying vs. renting, investing for your future, etc.

Our 401(k) administrator, Maxwell Locke & Ritter, has some useful resources on their website as well, including financial bulletins, cost calculators, etc that are available to anyone. And if you have questions about your 401(k) you can contact our plan manager Tom Carter (512-370-3269 or tcarter@mlrpc.com).

Money is such a big part of people’s stress. The more planning and preparation, they better suited you are for encountering a bump in the road.

Mentally: Stress management is a really valuable tool to have. Being able to identify the types of stress and triggers can allow you to better prepare yourself, and even those around you, so that you can maintain your productivity not just at work, but at home as well.

On Friday, May 22 at the staff meeting, I’ll be giving a short presentation on Stress Management. Hopefully you’ll be able to use some of the technique to help you manage your stress in the future.

Emotionally: Sometimes just taking a break from it all is necessary for your sanity. This Memorial Day really utilize your day off. Turn your cell phone off for a few hours, don’t check your email if at all possible, go outside, go swimming, eat something grilled – you get the idea.

Physically: Stress and turmoil can actually take a physical toll on you. If you feel achy or seem to be getting headaches often, try adding some exercise into your day. Now that we have this giant building, why not take a lap around it every couple of hours – the sunshine will do you some good. If you really feel ill, you should talk with your doctor about stress management and possible techniques – like meditation – to help you get through those rough patches.

Most of all, it’s important to be supportive of one another. Everyone may not know each others’ circumstances, but it can help everyone to be supportive and sympathetic, especially through tough times.