Getting off the rollercoaster ride
As I watched the news this morning, the stock market took a steep dive downwards within the first five minutes of trading. I am a yoga teacher, not a stockbroker, so I was surprised by the visceral reaction that I had. My heart started to beat faster as if I had just careened down a steep rollercoaster. The truth is that it is hard lately not feel as if we are on a rollercoaster each time we turn on the news.
CNN recently came out with a study that said, not surprisingly, that 8 out of 10 Americans are feeling stressed about their personal finances and the economy. According to the same study, “mounting anxieties led 60 percent of poll respondents to report that they’re feeling angry and irritable, 53 percent reported feeling fatigued and 52 percent said they lie awake at night. As many as 47 percent reported having headaches, 35 percent had upset stomachs and 34 percent experienced muscular tension because of stress.” Clearly, for many of us the volatility and uncertainty of the current economic situation has made us feel like we are walking on shaky ground. (more…)
