First off I'm attempting to have "faith" in my country and the people within it. I believe there is still enough American ideals/spirit that we should be able to pull out of this and come out better for it. I think the key is not acting only on that fear and gloom that spreads like a disease, but that we continue to think things through and look at the possible long term results of our choices.
For the most part, as individuals, a lot of the situation is out of our control. This means I try to stay focused on what I can control, what I can do.
Can I control if the co. DH works for goes under? Probably not. I can however control how well prepared we are to fend for ourselves without that job, or without mine for that matter. Some of the ways I do this, and this is how I try to think ALL the time, not just in our current economy are as follows:
~ LEARN
There is nothing more powerful than knowledge. The more things that I know the better prepared I can be for things. If I am use to working on a line at a factory but I also know how to type, am proficient in Microsoft, do not consider weilding a mop beneath me, volunteer in a field where I have no background (but now I'm learning it), take classes in a new field, and so on, all of these things make me more employable in other areas. Then there are the areas of learning skills that SAVE you from spending money such as canning, hunting, plumbing, electrical, building, and so on. The more versital our knowledge base the more capable we become.
~ Having a stockpile for a rainey day is always a good thing both of money and food.
~ Remembering that I am not better than anyone else.
~ Work on creating streams of passive income, or even if they aren't completely passive, streams of income that don't come from your current employment.
~ VOTE , every time, it matters
~ Continueing to help others that are in worse shape than we are. Being selfish only fosters that selfishness. In times of trouble, every man for himself is not the way I want it to be.