As a leader, you have the power to motivate your team during tough times. If you’re feeling anxious or negative, your team will feel it too, and they may be more hesitant to work hard during a shutdown. So take the time to evaluate your own emotional state during a government shutdown and make sure that you are operating at your best.

In a government shutdown, many federal employees are sent home without pay and must decide whether to work for no money or to go on leave. This can create a strain on families and cause a number of problems, from halting food safety inspections to closing museums and national parks, causing long lines at airport security checkpoints to putting the brakes on clinical trials for medical research. And, of course, millions of federal contractors are at risk of not getting paid for the work they do.

During a government shutdown, only those programs considered “essential” continue to operate. Other operations, such as processing passports and small business loans, stop. The FDA pauses routine food safety inspections. And US Citizenship and Immigration Services will no longer be able to process Labor Condition Applications (LCA).

A shutdown also has real costs for the economy, as the CBO estimates that the two recent shutdowns cost the economy more than $4 billion, with $3 billion never being recovered. And while the public might tolerate a short shutdown for a few weeks, a prolonged one could hurt consumer confidence, prompt businesses to hold off on hiring and investments, and reduce economic growth.