1. Borrow money from anyone and create more debt for yourself unless your facing a dire emergency.
2. Cancel your medical insurance because you “can’t afford” to pay for it. If you have just one illness requiring hospitalization or surgery it could literally wipe you and your family out permanently. An emergency room visit could cost you hundreds of dollars. 
3. Not let friends and family know that you’re looking for work and you’d appreciate their help. You never know when they see something in the paper that you didn’t notice or someone says something that they wouldn’t connect to your needing work unless you ask them to keep their eyes and ears open.
4. Neglect to  inform your creditors. Most will work with you. After all it’s far better for both of you to work together then to let everything go until it all comes crashing down around you.

It’s so important to be proactive.  There are some things you can do that will make a huge difference in your life.  Now Let’s look at some of your options:

Reduce monthly expenses. Take a serious look at some of the things you can live without for a while until you get back on your feet. Go through all of your bills and expenses and cut out the things that aren’t necessities. Be honest with yourself – just because you think you can’t live without your cable or cell phone, doesn’t mean it’s true. Some of the first places to look include: 

• Get rid of cable
• Phones – both cell and land line
• Cell texting or other data communications
• Make one trip a day instead of several
• Don’t Eat Out. Instead cook at home
• Turn off your air conditioner

With a little communication, research, and creativity, you can take advantage of your time off to learn a new skill or start a new venture with skills and passions you already have. Have some fun utilizing your creative ability while making the extra money you need to make ends meet.   These tough financial times don’t have to be devastating. Use these tips to take advantage of the resources available to you to reduce the negative impact on your life. You may even look back on this time as the lucky stroke that pushed you toward success in your new career!

The brain can only take so much and this stress load is over-riding everything else.  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that:

• 25% of workers view their jobs as the greatest source of stress
• 26% have already experienced job burnout
• 40% of workers label their job duties as very stressful
• 75% of workers think that job stress is much worse than it was for workers in the previous generation

Some people thrive on the adrenaline rush they get form diving into challenges they face at work.  But if you’re not stimulated and feel like you’re drowning instead then work stress may be the problem. See if you recognize the signs of stress.

• You’re often irritable
• You have trouble concentrating
• You’re tired
• You get less done
• Getting out of bed on a workday morning is a major effort

Are you feeling more stress on your job or in your business?  If you do, you’re not alone.  When you feel stressed, you can protect yourself and others by:

• Slow down and double check everything you do (this keeps you from having to do things over)
• Read and re-read any safety directions, even if you already think you know it. Under stress, your brain is distracted
• Ask for help if you feel the task is too much for you
• Ask a colleague to double check the process
• Don’t agree to learn a new task or operate new equipment when you feel stressed or extremely tired. You won’t retain the information well.
• Take breaks away from the task and relax. Your mind needs to step down from alert status and rest before resuming the task. For every 2 hours of intense work take a few minutes to relax.

Workplace stress isn’t something you tough out to prove your worth. Working under stress places you and your co-workers at risk for accidents. Even if you don’t drive a forklift, you can cause just as much damage by not thinking it out as you reach for a heavy box and drop it on someone’s head pull or wrench your back due to lack of attention to a task

Decreasing stress improves your productively and improves your attitude and your life.