What are you doing to stay sane these days?  You don’t know?  Instead, you ask what am I (!) doing to stay sane through these challenging times, Mr. Dream Job Guy?  Fair enough….touche.

As an entrepreneur, it’s really difficult to stay one step ahead of the times — but, so far, I’m doing it.  It ain’t easy.  And I suspect it’s not easy for you either.  You’ve been laid off.  You worry about a loved one being laid off.  Or you perhaps you have “layoff guilt” — your coworkers have been laid off, but you’ve survived with a good job and benefits.  And you feel guilty.

Now, I’m not a psychologist….and I’m sure not a psychiatrist, but I do feel there are, what I call, “Simple Things” that we all have to do to remain sane during these crazy times.  Yes, HAVE to do.  A mandate, folks.  Now, the Simple Things are completely up to the individual — different strokes for different folks.  You may think that this Cheesehead from Wisconsin has gone all West Coast Woo Woo.  And maybe I have.  But, I’ll tell you what, my Simple Things are helping me to deal with this recession and keeping me sane.

Here are my 7 (my lucky number) Simple Things:

1.  Smile, damn it!  Regardless of how crappy my day might be going and how depressing the news is, I make myself smile.  Even if it hurts.  Make yourself smile.  Fake it to make it, baby.  Just as a frown is contagious, so is a smile.  In fact, you might even force yourself to laugh at something.  I did this morning.  I was walking to the VocationVacations office and a truck was going by with its stereo playing loudly….the news was being read, “This is the worst recession since the Great Depression,” the news reporter said.  I felt like I was in a movie.  Did I just hear that correctly? Were those words really coming from a random truck just driving by?  Why, yes there were.  I smiled and chuckled to myself.  Yes, times are surreal.  Smile, Brian.  Laugh.  Fake it to make it.

2.  Turn off the news!   At least limit your intake.  Now I love watching Anderson Cooper on CNN with the best of them…..but I’ve completely cut back my intake of the constant bad news.  A bit of burying my head in the sand?  Yep.  And I’m damn proud of it.

3.  Make love.  Yep, you read that correctly.  If you’re in a relationship, show that person how much you love him or her by having some good old fashion sex.  Didn’t think you’d hear that coming from Mr Dream Job, did you?  Well, I’m not suggesting you go out on a sexual rampage or anything (um, I’m nearly 43….I’m not having sex every day, believe me), but studies have proven that sex is a great stress release.  So, be a good, loyal American and have some great love-making/sex with your partner.  If you’re not partnered, well, I’m not going to suggest what you do….but I’m sure you can figure something out.

4.  Get some physical exercise.  I’m not a gym rat — far from it.  I was always the last kid picked for a sports team in gym class. But, about 5 years ago, I decided to make a conscious effort to get some sort of exercise every day so I would stop doing my own imitation of Jabba the Hut.  If it’s not the gym, then take a walk.  Go for a run.  Take a hike.  Yoga.  Stretch and do sit-ups on your living room floor.  Anything.  As the folks at Nike say, just do it!

5.  Treat yourself to something nice each day.  Keep it under $5 or $10, or whatever.  For me?  This morning I had a killer work out (see #4) — I even bench-pressed 110 pounds.  That’s a big deal for this geek from Mt. Horeb (Wisconsin) middle school.  So, for $10, I treated myself to my favorite diner breakfast at Fuller’s in Portland.  I just love the folks there.  The owner, Suzy, is the best.  I’m set to be in a good mood for the rest of the day after seeing Suzy and her smile (see #1, once again).

6.  Don’t sit in the dark.  Yesterday the sun was pouring into the office to the point I couldn’t see my computer screen.  I shut the blinds.  And then I was reading CNN news online (see #2)….and I started getting bummed out by what I was seeing on video and reading online…while sitting in the dark.  So, I quit CNN.com and opened the blinds again.  I needed the sunshine — especially here in Portland.  So, yes, I sat at my desk wearing sunglasses so I could see my computer screen while letting the sun shine in.  No, I’m not crazy.  In fact, I’m staying sane.

7.  Help a friend or family member.  We all are feeling stressed these days.  We need each other.  We need community.  My partner (Wade)  my Dad, my siblings, friends such as Carolyn, Anne, Gwen and Glenn (and many more) have all been amazing to me during this last year when I’ve had some difficult decisions to make in order to keep my dreams alive.  I hope you’ve experienced the same from family and friends.  Repay the favor.  Just the other day a friend of mine who’s been laid off was having a difficult day.  I took the time to drive to her place to have a cup of coffee with her — and gave her a hug.  Did I solve her problems?  No way.  But she knows I’m there for her.  Help a friend or family member in need.  They know you don’t have all the answers or their mortgage payment or their kids’ college tuition, etc.  But it’s amazing what that smile (see #1 AGAIN) and a hug can do for someone.

So, there are my 7 Simple Things to keep me sane.  What are yours?  I’m really anxious to hear.

Cheers!
Brian

Brian Kurth is a sought-after career planning and mentorship expert and speaker.  He has appeared on CNBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, NBC’s TODAY Show and National Public Radio (NPR), and his career advice has been featured in articles in Fortune Magazine; Men’s Journal; The New York Times; O, The Oprah Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, just to name a few. Brian founded VocationVacations (www.vocationvacations.com) in 2004.  He is the author of Test-Drive Your Dream Job – A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding and Creating the Work You Love  – Hachette, 2008.