Picard, I'm not familiar with the economic situation in Canada, though I know yous guys are feeling the gas price hike too, but here in the U.S., there isn't a "recession". We're suffering from gas prices and housing market woes (to minor degree), but overall, the economy's relatively strong.

The "news" media can convince of many things. If they said over and over again, in their subtle and subliminal ways, that we were all afflicted with a cancer and would die within 6 months, we surely would, cancer or not. One of the best ways I can think of to deal with this "economic" stress is to stop listening to those that would prefer you were stressed and pay attention to what the economy is really doing.