BRUSSELS — Surviving a severe economic crisis is like coming out alive after an airplane crash. You will never be the same person again.

At first, the bad news was just a whisper. Stories of people we did not know losing their jobs. My husband and I were working at one of the leading newspapers in Athens and we felt safe. When people we knew were suddenly out of work, I knew it was time to take action. I had to learn a different occupation that wouldn’t be limited by language or country, a problem I would face trying to find work as a journalist if I had to leave Greece.

So, I started attending classes in a pastry school. Every afternoon for two years, after a full day working as an arts editor at Eleftherotypia, I attended baking classes until 10 p.m. And then I spent all my weekends and many a night working to master the techniques I had learned.

When both my husband and I lost our jobs in 2011, after working unpaid for several months, and we were left with nothing but unemployment benefits, making pastry became my therapy to fight off despair. I worked diligently to make the perfect French macaron. (Not to be confused with the macaroon, which doesn’t have a filling, color or that sensual crispy texture. The sweets share the same basic ingredient, almond powder.)