Stress

The women in my neighborhood appear to be under stress and what I call "recession depression." It could be the men feel it as well, and I am sure many do, but the women will talk about it. We had a meeting a day ago with a social worker who defined depression (mental) for us and talked about ways to combat depression, all of it good information, but I felt what we really needed was an opportunity to express ourselves to each other, to talk about how we feel. It would be comforting for me to learn that I was not the only one who felt discouraged and worried. Sometimes my husband will come home and say, "Guess what happened at work today?" I instantly worry that the news will be bad news, that my husband is no longer employed (normally I am an optimist). My 17-year-old daughter told me today that she did not ask boys to girl's-choice dances at school because we were so short on money. Obviously this "recession depression" does not only affect adults.

So what can we do about this? How do we get back to a happier state of mind?