Community copes with struggling economy

People hit hard by the struggling economy may express a wide variety of emotions, from feelings of worry and sadness to anger and frustration.

For The Colony resident Kathy Costa, the first feeling that comes to mind is fear.

“It’s a little scary,” she said, adding that a close family member had lost her human resources job Tuesday morning.

Costa worked as an interior designer in the building industry before being laid off, and has since had to find work in a new field. Her family has had to make lifestyle changes, such as selling assets and scaling back on expenses.

Costa said that reaching out for emotional support has been critical, and that she finds it by keeping in touch with former colleagues in the home building industry via a monthly coffee gathering.

“Nine out of 10 interior designers are out of work,” she said. “We talk about who’s found work and where. Everybody is looking at different things. One is taking a job as a personal assistant. We’re having to rethink our career choices. There’s lots of builders and contractors doing different things, too, such as one working as a bartender in a casino.”

Costa’s emotions surface when she’s talking about government bailouts of banks and other financial institutions. She watched first-hand as mortgage lenders approved people for home loans they couldn’t afford. She characterized such practices as “predatory,” and expressed anger that lenders have been able to “stick their hands out to save them from their own stupidity,” she said.

It’s not all gloom and doom, Costa said, but people are having to reprioritize and retrain. “It’s not like we’re starving to death,” she said. “It hasn’t been that painful but it’s a little uncomfortable.”

Throughout the country Americans such as Costa are coping to work through all the emotions that come from enduring difficult times. Hardly any would label such feelings as “grief,” but a Texas Woman's University professor says that could well be the case.

“In our society, people relate grief to death,” said Dr. Susan Adams, associate professor of counseling and development at TWU. “Grief is multi-faceted. Some people grieve due to a divorce, or because a family member in the military is away during the holidays. They may be healthy, but they’re not at home.”

Adams conducts several grief seminars each year. Though these seminars are aimed at those who have lost loved ones, she said people grieve over other losses as well.

The sluggish economy hit especially hard during the holidays and beyond.

“The media creates a ‘buyer’ mentality,” Adams said in a press release. “Children ask for something, but the family can't afford it.”

People cope with these situations in different ways, she said. Some may charge everything to their credit cards and worry about the debt later. Although there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, Adams said a realistic assessment of one’s current situation is key.

If the possibility of job loss is looming, she recommends starting preparations now. Conserve cash, reduce spending where possible, and look at potential resources. A job loss may meet the qualifications for unemployment, or help may be available from family members.

Unfortunately, Adams said, economic problems often distance people from resources such as counseling. The professor pointed out that options, such as the TWU Counseling and Development Center, base their charges on a sliding scale. For information, visit www.twu.edu/cope/famsci/clinic or call 940-898-2685.

Speaking with a church group or a friend can help explore options and relieve some of the pressure.

Pastor Jon Wiest of Horizons Church in The Colony said his church sees about 10 requests for financial assistance each week, and that the food pantry has been busier in recent weeks as well.

Wiest said that a lot newer clients are families who live in decent homes and own nice cars but have lost jobs. These are families trying to cut back on expenses while looking for work before parting with major assets, he said.

Others, such as lower-middle class families, are affected at a higher rate, Wiest said. Regardless of socio-economic status, the church provides all the support it can.

“I think that in The Colony, especially, we have a lot of single parents,” Wiest said, families that were already trying to juggle work and day care while paying the bills. “Obviously there’s a lot of emotional stress that comes with that. It’s really a time for churches to live what we preach and take care of one another.”

On Sunday at Horizons, recently unemployed church members stood before the congregation as individuals “who needed help, who needed God to work in their lives,” Wiest said. Church members lay hands and pray for one other. And those who can’t help by writing a check may loan out their car, for example.

“There’s a lot more of that going on, as churches live out who God has called us to be as we’re going through a hard time,” Wiest said.

On the bright side, he believes this is opportunity for people to connect with their faith and what’s most important.

“Sometimes when life’s going good financially, some of the spiritual issues get glossed over with the material,” he said. “Once you strip away the finances and the ability to make money, some of the deeper needs come to the surface. A lot of times in life it’s through the suffering and bearing the crosses that we actually grow.”

Financial counselors also can help people find some “breathing room” by developing a budget and managing creditors to eliminate emotional phone calls, Adams said.

Many who have cut back on spending because of the economy are expressing anger over government bailouts of industries. Adams said the anger is understandable.

“There needs to be a sense of accountability, and we’re not seeing that,” she said. “I think that's what bothers a lot of people. It’s frustrating to see your hard-earned money evaporating, then hear about bailouts for corporate CEOs with seven-figure incomes.”

Adams said it's OK to be angry, but added that the anger should be managed correctly. Anger and stress cause some people to withdraw, rather than pooling their resources. She also encouraged people to focus on what they do have, such as family, health, and mobility. She recommended finding small ways to reach out to others, such as baking cookies for an elderly neighbor or volunteering at a soup kitchen.

“We sometimes take things for granted,” Adams said. “Reaching out to others can give us a new perspective on things.”

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