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2026 Is Off to a Rough Start.
I had high hopes for 2026, but so far it hasn’t exactly been my Roman Empire year.
The year started with news that we were going on an open-ended strike that ran from the end of January to almost March. I did my part. Stayed home. Tried to save money by not buying unnecessary things. But losing one month of salary still hurt. What hurt even more was realizing that the month of sacrifice not just from me but from everyone who stayed home and held the line felt a bit futile when the strike ended without much to show for it.
Four weeks of uncertainty, lost paychecks, and stress. Then suddenly it was over and we were ordered to go back to work the next day. I remember thinking, wait… that’s it?
It was depressing, to be honest.
Eventually I went back to work and slowly accepted it. Now we just have to wait and see what happens next.
Watching My Portfolio Drop $15,000 in One Week
Right around the same time, the news cycle started filling up with headlines about another war breaking out.
Last week I was telling my partner that even though things had been tough at work, at least my investment portfolio had been going gangbusters. In the last six months alone my investments had returned almost $30,000.
Then suddenly, because I’m chronically on Reddit, I couldn’t avoid the dreaded news.
Posts on r/stocks and r/wallstreetbets were talking about the “red light therapy effect.” Basically everything in the market was red.
I normally don’t check my Vanguard account that often, but curiosity got the best of me. So I logged in.
In one week alone my portfolio was down almost $15,000.
Oooff! Ouch!
Inflation Is Starting to Feel Real
I was never the kind of person who looked at prices when buying groceries. During COVID I would get groceries delivered and tip the delivery driver $50, and my partner would look at me like I was crazy.
These days things feel different.
Our weekly grocery budget is around $200 for two adults and one toddler, and somehow it barely lasts the week.
Inflation is slowly eating away at a lot of money from my paycheck.
The Job Market Feels Different Now
Another thing that has been making me uneasy is the job market.
In the span of my 17 years working as a nurse, I’ve never had a hard time finding a job. Usually whenever I apply for a position I get a call back within a week and eventually an offer.
Recently it’s been crickets for months.
Even as an experienced nurse.
That’s a new feeling for me.
Add to that the anxiety of war headlines, recession talk, and general economic uncertainty, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
What I’m Doing Instead of Panicking
Instead of spiraling, I’ve been trying to focus on things that are actually within my control.
1. Continuing to Invest (and Looking at My Portfolio Less)
My investment approach is pretty simple.
I practice dollar cost averaging, meaning I invest consistently regardless of what the market is doing. I avoid speculative investing and trying to time the market.
I’m certainly no hedge fund manager, and I don’t have the time to research every company or stock ticker.
During the COVID lockdown when the Robinhood app and r/wallstreetbets were exploding in popularity, I did dabble in speculative investing. I threw about $7,000 into random stocks because, you know, I didn’t want to miss out.
A year or two later that money had turned into about $2,000.
So yes, I lost around $5,000.
Lesson learned.
These days I stick to a much simpler investment strategy.
2. Staying Employed and Flexible
I’d be lying if I said I haven’t had moments where I fantasize about leaving everything behind in the U.S. Sometimes the politics here honestly scare me.
My dream scenario would be packing up and moving to Europe or Australia.
But that’s another story.
The reality is that being a Per Diem PACU Nurse in California is actually not a bad situation.
Just yesterday I asked one of my coworkers, who has dual citizenship in Canada, if he would move back to Canada given the current situation in the U.S.
He said heck no.
He said Canada definitely has its own problems, and besides, he wouldn’t take Montreal weather over California weather. Lol.
So for now I’m doing what I can to stay grounded and stay employed. I’m also trying not to make decisions that I can’t undo, like suddenly quitting my job or taking another unplanned sabbatical like I did twice when I was younger.
3. Rebuilding My Emergency Fund
During the month-long strike, I used about $5,000 from my emergency fund to pay bills.
Now my goal is to replenish that fund. Ideally I want to maintain at least six months of expenses saved for situations exactly like this.
The strike was actually a good reminder of how important having savings is.
If I didn’t have that emergency fund, I might have been one of the first nurses forced to cross the line. And honestly, if more nurses had been financially prepared, fewer people might have felt pressured to cross the picket line early.
Savings give you options.
To make my emergency fund work harder, I keep it in a HYSA (High Yield Savings Account).
With a SoFi Checking and Savings account, you can earn up to 3.30% interest on your savings, which is significantly higher than what most traditional banks offer. This allows your emergency fund to continue growing while still remaining easily accessible when you need it.
4. Focusing on Things I Can Control
During uncertain times I try to focus on things I can actually control.
That means tightening up some of our spending.
We’re eating out less and trying to stick to buying essentials at the grocery store. That also means less wine for me and my partner.
Trips are on pause for now. Shopping for clothes or other wants is on hold. I also temporarily reduced savings that were going toward household renovations and travel funds.
At the same time I’m trying to continue improving my skills.
Clinically, I recently picked up a side gig doing home infusion nursing. I’m learning more about autoimmune diseases, biologic treatments, and handling central lines, while also improving my IV insertion skills. The pay is pretty decent too.
On the non-nursing side, I’m continuing to build this website and write my newsletter. Hopefully one day it might even generate a little income.
How I’m Managing the Anxiety
Aside from spending time with my family which already takes a lot of energy when you’re raising a toddler one thing that really helps me process everything is writing.
Writing on this website has become a surprisingly good outlet. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed this is already the third redesign of the site.
I genuinely enjoy designing and building it. Writing about my career, finances, and frustrations almost feels like having a free invisible therapist.
It also helps take my attention away from social media, which honestly just makes me more anxious and depressed because it’s usually filled with bad news.
This blog is kind of like a journal for me. Writing here about my financial and career journey keeps me accountable. It pushes me to educate myself financially and improve my career so I can eventually reach financial independence.
Playing the Long Game
Even with all the uncertainty right now, it helps to remember that markets historically recover.
Most of my long-term gains in the stock market actually happened during corrections and bear markets.
And besides, I still have at least 25 years before traditional retirement age.
So my focus is on staying employable, improving both clinical and non-clinical skills, and steadily investing in my future.
Closing Thoughts
Right now there are definitely moments where I just want to run away.
Away from the politics, uncertainty, and constant bad news.
But instead I’m trying to stick with what has worked for me so far.
Show up to work. Continue learning new skills. Invest slowly and consistently. Save money for uncertain times. Write and create things that bring me a little peace.
Hopefully all of that eventually gives me more options in the future through financial independence.
And in the meantime, I can always just visit Europe or Australia.
Sources:
The Four Bad Bears: A Century of Market Recovery: https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2026/01/08/bear-market-recoveries-q4-2025
