I just started my second year of law school, my debt load is smothering and I'm worried sick about the future of the economy. Law firms say they're still hiring, but it's hard to believe them in the current environment. I'm so stressed over my career prospects I can't think straight.

As one philosopher so nicely summed up the human condition: "Things are going to get unbelievably worse and never get better."

I think he was joking. Alas, for the vast legion of us feeling lily-livered about our livelihoods, the line between absurd hyperbole and irrefutable logic isn't always clear.

It's not as if we have to search for dire stats about the current economy. The credit crunch, mortgage defaults, soaring energy costs, sagging real estate values, collapsing corporate deals -- like a swarm of killer bees, such stats have no trouble finding us.

The legal profession, alas, is hardly a safe haven from woe. As The American Lawyer reported in August, "Revenue growth [for law firms] was the weakest it's been in the seven years since we began tracking quarterly results. Demand for legal services was also the weakest seen in the period from 2001 to 2008."

Given all this, the good news is at least we're not crazy to be suffering some heebie-jeebies.

"It's actually normal to be concerned about money and career prospects," says Jerilyn Ross, M.A., LICSW, head of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. "Manageable levels of anxiety can motivate us to take action and work harder to increase our marketability."

The problem occurs when adaptive anxiety becomes so persistent and intense that motivation tips over into paralysis. In individuals suffering generalized anxiety disorder, for instance, career and financial concerns can swell to the point they crowd out all other thoughts.

Red flags for worry-run-amok range from the physical (muscle tension, stomach upset, back pain, headaches, sleep disturbances) to the cognitive and emotional (endless "what if " scenarios, panic and/or depression over future prospects, impaired functioning at school or work).

Regardless of where you presently fall on the "turbocharging to paralyzing" worry spectrum, here are some strategies that can help reduce needless catastrophizing:

Signal to act? When job and financial fears assault you, write them down and divide the list into problems you can and can't do something about.

Shoo the gnats. For worries outside your control -- e.g., the effect of China's T-bill portfolio on domestic interest rate policy and new-associate hiring trends -- don't try to force all concern out of mind. "Just gently shoo such worries away like gnats," says Ross. "When they come back, shoo them away again. Don't make the gnat important."

Take action when possible. Volunteer for extra projects at work or school, cast a wider net for job possibilities or research ways to gain additional credentials. Anxiety flourishes when people feel out of control. Taking proactive measures puts you in charge of your destiny.

Take an acting class -- seriously. Employers, like romantic prospects, are repelled by applicants who look too desperate. If this adjective describe you, you'll need to give an Oscar-worthy performance of fake confidence. "An acting class can give you back your exuberance and let you act confident when you go in for an interview," says Stephen Pollan, best-selling author of "The Die Broke Complete Book of Money." A little thespian training now will likely pay dividends throughout your career.

Self-medicate with exercise, not booze. Studies have shown that drinking exacerbates anxiety over the long term. Exercise, on the other hand, exhausts anxiety's tsunami of fight-or-flight hormones, clears your mind and interrupts the spiral of negative thoughts. "Let your adrenaline have a place to go," says Ross. "Don't allow it to just sit around and make trouble for you."

Make your career concerns boring. Set aside a half-hour each day to do nothing but worry about your future as a lawyer. You will quickly find this is harder to do than you might think. During this designated worry period, encourage your mind to run riotous with fear. Give voice to your thoughts -- and tape-record what comes out of your mouth. Then play the tape back later. If you aren't bored to tears, you may find yourself chuckling. Either way, you'll have begun desensitizing yourself to your worst-case nightmares.

Heed Dickens. Regardless of how much or little you earn, strive to live on a little less. As Charles Dickens put it: "Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 19 six, result happiness. Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 20 pounds ought and six, result misery.”

Seek counsel, counselor. If intense worrying continues to affect your quality of life, seek help. Short-term therapy, sometimes abetted by medication, has proved highly effective for GAD and related anxiety disorders, says Eric Hollander, M.D., the director of the Compulsive and Impulsive Disorders Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Remember: Suffering is something no lawyer need experience. Save it for your adversaries.

Are your career worries adaptive or pathological? Take this test to find out.

• Do you think about your career prospects many hours each day?

• Do you seek to reassure yourself through repetitive-checking behaviors, such as constantly looking up law firm hiring trends on the Internet?

• Do such thoughts and/or behaviors make you feel worse, creating substantial distress, anxiety or depression?

• Does your preoccupation with job opportunities interfere with your ability to otherwise concentrate and/or function normally?

• Do you avoid social situations because you're sure people are aware of your career concerns and will look down on you?

• Do you attempt to conceal your anxiety from loved ones?

• Do you consider yourself a failure?

• Do you have a history of excessive worry about other aspects of your life, such as personal health and/or the well-being of relatives?

Answering yes to any of these can be a red flag for generalized anxiety disorder or other serious -- but treatable -- anxiety problems, says Hollander. If you suspect you or someone you love has a problem, contact the Anxiety Disorders Association of America for help in finding a qualified therapist in your area.

Jim Thornton is a National Magazine Award-winning writer whose work has been published in such magazines as Men's Health, National Geographic Adventure, AARP: The Magazine, GQ, Backpacker and Glamour.