If you watch any economic news, you’ve probably seen economists biting their nails while raising the alarm about the dreaded “R-word”: recession.

These financial experts are so terrified of a potential recession that they refer to it obliquely, in the same superstitious way your Great-Aunt Esther used to whisper the word “cancer.” But refusing to call a recession by its name does not reduce financial panic, improve the stock market, or even make julienne fries: It just makes a recession seem like an unstoppable force coming to ruin our lives, which is simply not true.

While there isn’t much that an individual can do to avert a recession, there’s plenty you can do to shore up your personal finances to prepare for one. Here’s how you can protect yourself and your finances in case a recession materializes this year.

What is a recession anyway?

Since economists talk about recessions in the same frightened tones that teens in 80s slasher movies discuss Freddy Krueger, it’s easy to assume a recession is the economic equivalent of sudden death.