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Friday\u2019s jobs report<\/a> set the weekend off on the wrong foot, and now most of the global markets look like they\u2019re shaking off an epic hangover this Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Add global socio-political conflict in the Middle East and poor earnings among tech and consumer-facing companies to the mix and you have a fully boiling pot, as Paul Christopher, head of global investment strategy at Wells Fargo<\/a> Investment Institute, explained in a note on Monday<\/a>. Seemingly unbeatable tech stocks have floundered; Japan saw its worst market day in decades after raising its interest rates<\/a> last week, and U.S. markets saw their worst plunge since 2022<\/a>. In short, a lot is happening\u2014perhaps too much for the beleaguered consumer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Monday ushered in broken records, as the CBOE<\/a> Volatility Index (VIX), known as Wall Street\u2019s \u201cfear gauge,\u201d reached its highest level in two years and Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 had its worst day since 1987, plummeting by 12%. It\u2019s a case of the Mondays for sure. But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s time for investors to freak out, explain financial advisors.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn reality, what you\u2019re seeing here is really a lot of noise,\u201d Douglas Boneparth, president of Bone Fide Wealth in New York City, told Fortune<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be reactionary, it could very well easily come right back,\u201d Dan Casey, investment advisor and founder of Bridgeriver Advisors, said to Fortune<\/em> of the current market downturn.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a natural instinct to feel a little panicked during times of volatility. But that doesn\u2019t mean we need to indulge our urge to march into the bank and get our tuppence back, a la Mary Poppins. During these times, it\u2019s all about taking a deep breath and a step back.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re worrying about or focusing on things that you have no impact over, are you spending your energy and time wisely? Probably not,\u201d Boneparth said, cautioning investors to instead pay attention to what they can control like the media they consume and the way their investment portfolio is aligned with their financial goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Part of the issue when you listen to the anxiety, either warranted or not, is that it creates new problems down the line, said Casey. He often tells his clients the following: \u201cWhen you sell in [a downturn] like this, you temporarily create a solution. But you\u2019re creating another problem, which is, when do I get back in?\u201d In other words, people who try to time the market\u2014including by selling after stocks have plummeted\u2014often face the problem of having to buy back in, at a higher price. Sometimes Casey tells a client to split the difference, keeping half of their money in the market while withdrawing half.<\/p>\n Casey often tells his clients that any dollar going into the stock market \u201cbetter have a five year window on it.\u201d That\u2019s all to say, you\u2019re in it for the long haul, and just pulling out one day \u201ccreates havoc,\u201d and potentially a global turmoil if millions of investors fall prey to panic at the same time.<\/p>\n Even as talk of recession anxiety swirls, investors\u00a0should remind themselves that the stock market isn\u2019t the economy\u2014and many consumers are not demonstrating signs of fear. \u201cThe spending is still good. Travel is still good\u2026people are out and about,\u201d said Casey. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing that I\u2019m looking at that shows that the consumer is in a recession. Everything as of right now is still just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\nHold steady, don\u2019t sell<\/strong><\/h2>\n