(NYTIMES) - Maybe you lost your job. Maybe your hours were cut. Or maybe you had to take over caregiving responsibilities. If your income fell precipitously in the past 18 months - even if things have become better - it is an uncertain time. High inflation in some sectors does not help, and neither do rising housing costs. Yet jobs - though maybe not the ones that hotel and restaurant workers, theatre people and small business owners had before - have been increasingly available in many parts of the country, though job growth has slowed recently. No two situations are exactly alike, but when you have been on edge - emotionally and financially - for this long, it is especially important to conduct three types of check-ins. First, find another human to talk to who has seen more (and hopefully knows more) than you. Then, do a quick nuts-and-bolts audit of your financial standing. Finally, check in on your feelings - which can influence how you plot a recovery from a pandemic that has permanently expanded our understanding of what qualifies as a volatile industry. 1. Everyone can use a good financial planner They are a reliable source of guidance, but you may not be able to afford one ...