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We humans have a strong fascination with the macabre. That's why we experience traffic jams as people slow down and rubber-neck to observe the details of a car crash or the identity of a speeding ticket recipient. The same thing is happening today with the stock market. People who wouldn’t recognize a credit default swap if it hit them in the head are nonetheless glued to CNBC, mesmerized by every uptick and downtick of the stock market.

As your friend, adviser, or anonymous blogger, I urge you to not fall into this trap. Obsessive market fixation is bad for your health, a waste of time, and totally unnecessary. Unless your invested capital is needed in the next year or so – in which case you shouldn't be investing in stocks – all you've experienced is a paper loss. Admittedly, it's a paper loss of painful proportions – but if you're investing for the long term, you don’t need to flinch with the market's over-reaction to every bit of positive or negative news. It's all very confusing. When oil prices go up, it's bad news. When oil prices go down, it's bad news. When Congress doesn't pass the bailout package, it's bad news; and when they do pass it, that's also bad news.

Today's market is a puzzle wrapped in an enigma with a large conundrum thrown into the mix. It's a puzzle that will be solved over time, and no amount of consternation on your part will make it happen any sooner.