“Help… I have Post-Recession Disorder!”

So, what is DSM-VI

Would you consider yourself someone who has suffered from Post-Recession disorder?

Now before you start giving me those strange looks let me explain.

There was a previous article that actually proposed a new psychiatric diagnosis for DSM-VI or Post-Great Recession Stress Disorder (1). DSM-VI has to do with how we interpret and respond to environmental factors that have somehow affected us in our lives. When Lehman Brothers collapsed back in September 2008 or even before that the 1929 market crash into the Great Depression it shook a lot of Americans, to their core (1). Questions such as how could this have happened to us began to linger in the minds of many individuals. The psychological uncertainty of the market caused us to question whether we are safe economically in this country.

The healing process

Did you know that following the Great Depression, it took until 1954 for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to return to the level it was at in 1929? That is a 25-year period of healing (1).

Now while that may have been a great…or not so great history lesson depending on how you interpret it, the point is that we are psychologically impacted by the circumstances that are around us. You may have gone through a divorce, bankruptcy, health scare, or just a very challenging year in business or even ministry. How well did you respond to those circumstances? Perhaps you feel you bounced back quickly and continued to strive towards your goals in a state of absolute certainty regardless of what was going on in the economy. Well guess what….good for you! No…seriously, that is great. However, there may be many of you who are willing to be honest and a little bit transparent who believe your response was underwhelming and even disappointing. Perhaps you are still struggling with depression , or uncertainty, and rather than make the moves that are beneficial for you, your response is to play it safe and not take any risks. How is that working for you? If you are outwardly smiling but inwardly bitter then I would suggest you reevaluate your approach.

Community of transparency

Perhaps you need to recognize that it’s okay to be human, and it’s also okay to share your struggles and frustrations with other humans. This means that you need a community of transparency.

A community of transparency is a group of trusted individuals that you meet with consistently based on time-intervals that works best for you.

When you meet it is less important to have formal conversations and more important that you can be your authentic self. Share your struggles and behaviors in the past, and the consequences of your actions. You will discover that there are those in your group who have likely gone through some of the same challenges that you have gone through in your life. Just knowing that you are not alone can bring you the encouragement to persevere and move forward.

Transparent leaders Build Transparent Organizations

One of the added benefits of transparency is that you as a leader are embodying the values that will manifest in your organization. In other words when you are transparent with those around you, you can release some of the unnecessary burdens that you carry. Additionally, you are more likely to create a culture of transparency in your company. Although there is a list of potential benefits of transparency for your company #1 is you can foster employee happiness. In multiple studies company, transparency was the number-one factor in determining workplace happiness (2).

References:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/phildemuth/2014/09/08/are-you-suffering-from-post-great-recession-stress-disorder/#7e66e78d2769
https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2018/10/16/10-things-transparency-can-do-for-your-company/#622a5d3325d0