From the article: What to Do for Financial Stress
Financial stress and money worries are a fairly universal human experience, but they can cause stomach problems. An increase in digestive symptoms can be a wake-up call to engage in a little extra self care. What have you found to be helpful in managing your financial worries? Share your best tips and find out what others do to take care of their bodies when under financial stress. Share Your Tips
Release Funds with Gratitude
- Bill paying can be stressful, especially when you have to pick and choose what gets paid when there is not enough money to go around. Getting caught up in feelings of resentment for our creditors is not helpful. I am in the habit of blessing checks as I write them. I also bless the payment envelopes as I drop them in the mailbox. I truly am grateful whenever I have the means to support others financially. Paying for goods and services is support. For me, it is really about understanding that money is energy, it has its come and go fluxes. Bless your money as it leaves your hands, keep your hands open to receive it when it returns.
- —Guest lila
Be specific
- Instead of thinking "oh, we're going to end up in the poorhouse" or "our credit card bills are out of control!" I try to look at the specifics. I go over the credit card statement line by line and focus on what was expensive but necessary, and what was unnecessary (regardless of how much it cost). My husband created a few spreadsheet models of best-case and worst-case retirement scenarios, so I look at those and although they aren't as reassuring as they were a couple of months ago, it's not the poorhouse. I tell myself -- don't make negative generalizations. I focus on what I can fix and try to be as realistic as I can be.
- —Guest Susan
Share A Little Wealth
- If I'm fretting over bills to pay or a paycheck that's less than I need I take time to help out someone else even in a small way. I might drop some coins in a homeless person's hand, put an extra dime or two in a tip jar, or pay the bus fare for the person behind me. If I can give away even a tiny bit of money when I'm feeling stressed about not having any money then it makes me feel better knowing that as long as I've got enough to be able to help out others in some small way then things are going to be OK.
- —Guest pat
Exercise
- I've found that exercise is a great way to manage stress. In fact, on days that I don't exercise I actually notice a sharp increase in my irritability level. Oh and, prozac helps too.
- —khayesrn
Make a Plan/Eat at Mom's
- Having gone through some very difficult financial troubles in the past few years (job loss, bankruptcy), I found that as long as I had a plan, I didn't worry as much. I was blessed with family and friends who helped me a lot too. When things were so bad that I couldn't even afford food, I wasn't too ashamed to ask for help. If I hadn't had family and friends, I would have sought help from a local church. The big thing for me was to realize that I wasn't the only person this sort of thing was happening to and that I was not alone.
- —Guest Connie G.
Share My Worries
- I have always been the designated financial manager for our family. In the past, I didn't share my worries with my husband. I figured, why shoulod we both be stressed, and what was he going to do about them anyway, right? Recently, that all changed. I finally sat him down and gave him the full, un-varnished truth about our financial picture. I had always thought that saying it out loud would make it more stressful, but it was the opposite. Now that my partner is sharing the burden (even though I'm still the one juggling the bills and writing the checks), it is much easier to cope.
- —Guest Natalie
Working out a good, realistic budget
- Having a budget, that takes into account emergency spending, and fun money, is important for me. I also found that being REALISTIC is important. No promising to put away $100 each month, if that means no fun-money. For me, it's about balancing the checkbook, AND having some fun in there somewhere, even if it's very little cash.
- —Guest Rachel
Prepare and Use Stress Relief Techniques
- I like to use the combination approach: I try to be smart with money by spending as little as I can and making as much as I can, and then I try to let go. To save money, I'm planning meals more wisely, keeping whim spending in check, and cleaning my own house (no more once-a-week cleaning lady). I'm working extra hours at my job, too. For the letting go, I'm using meditation, watching funny movies, and just enjoying my kids.
- —Guest Elizabeth
Worry Twice a Month
- Rather than fret constantly about our financial situation, I limit myself to two worry days a month. On the 1st and 15th, I sit with the bills and take our "financial pulse". When worries pop into my head in between, I tell myself that today is not a "worry day".
- —Guest redd
