US Economy and the Effects on Our Collective Health and Wellness

The US economy is taking a severe toll on the mental and physical well-being of America during one of the most trying times in American history.

From Wall Street to Main Street, we’ve all felt some sort of pain over the last few years. Many say America is suffering from the post Great Recession blues, similar to the decade-plus lag that was experienced after the Great Depression of 1929’s after it technically ended in 1933. During this era, much of the pain was from hunger as unemployment skyrocketed up to nearly 25%. Another significant part of the pain felt during this time period was largely due to tuberculosis, whereas many were poor due to their lack of employment and therefore couldn’t afford the necessary health care coverage. Additionally, these were pre-antibiotic times, so many preventative health strategies didn’t exist, which made preventing and treating TB that much more difficult.

As we as a nation deal with this state of post Great Recession blues, almost a century later, I think it is incredibly important for everyone to “press pause on the button of life” and evaluate where our livelihoods and overall health and wellness stand. Whether physical, mental, or emotional, or perhaps a combination of several, if not all of the former, the pain that we’ve felt over the last few years has, admittedly, had some sort of adverse effect on us all.

For example, after conducting telephone surveys with a random sample of over fifteen thousand adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, selected using random-digit-dial sampling, a recent USAToday/Gallup poll proves that, the health and overall wellness of many Americans is suffering.

Another example, similar to the 1929 era, is that most Americans typically eat unhealthily during times of pain, stress, and anger. You can find several other examples here of how the recession is affecting our health negatively. There’s also a section towards the bottom of this article that reveals how the recession is affecting our health positively.

Other strategies that help individuals cope with tough times have been reported. While no panacea, spending time with family and friends, at least several hours daily, has been found to be one of the most effective ways of dealing with stress, anger, and frustration. If you’d like to learn about some other strategies that can help you improve your health and well-being during these tough times, here are several additional resources:

5 simple ways to reduce recession anxiety

How to Deal with Recession

Job reductions allow more time for leisure

The Great Recession: Our New American Normalcy

Americans just can’t get a break, can we?

At least that’s the way that it feels right now. This sentiment haunts most of us, largely in part due to the lingering effects of the phenomenon we have coined as The Great Recession.

Yes, the Great Recession is here and it seems as if its here to stay. While experts have stated that our economy has once again returned to growth, hence making us technically out of a “recession”, most of us sure as hell don’t feel any better. In fact, I’d venture to say that the majority of Americans feel as if it will be quite some time before any sort of normalcy returns.

What is incredibly frightening is the fact that The Great Recession and the ongoing limitations that they collectively place upon us are, in fact, our new normalcy–a frightening new reality that is the antithesis of our former lives.

The American Dream has turned into a nightmare right before our eyes. Since 2008, our nation has dealt with record-setting unemployment, rising health care costs, depressed home values, and other systemic problems.

We’re all shaking our heads, asking what the hell could be next?

And here it comes–how about breathtaking increases at the gas pump? After being cooped up inside the house during the winter, the spring is right around the corner and now we can’t afford a damn tank of gas to go anywhere.

As if we needed something else to worry about.

Over the past week, political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa has led to a staggering 4% increase in gas prices. This has translated into a $3.29 per gallon national average, the highest prices that we have ever seen during this time of year. Many believe these prices are only going to go up further, which throws another wrench into our economic recovery, as small businesses as well as large corporations tighten their belts and delay hiring plans.

We’re far from being out of the woods so it seems as if the only option that we Americans have is to draw our tents and camp out in the forest.

Marshmallows anyone?