Facing Money Problem: We Can Help You
If you feel that you do not have enough money and you are worried about thinking about it all the time, you are not alone. This is a problem associated with most living human beings. Financial stress and uncertainty now become a part and parcel of life.
This stress can be a result of many factors such as loss of work, financial debt, unforeseen expenses, and miscalculations leading to loss or a combination of many factors. To sum up, financial stress is the most common stress in modern-day life.
There is a very popular theory that “money can’t buy you happiness “, to an extent it’s true but when it comes to practicality you can say that money is one of the most important factors for survival nowadays. To maintain a healthy life without stress one needs to have a financial backup and a constant flow of money coming their way.
This is stress which not only makes a dent in the pocket but also dents the psychological and emotional wellbeing of an individual.
There are many medical issues which can happen to an individual as an aftermath of a finance-related stress.
- Insomnia: In common terms inability to get adequate sleep during the night or sometimes no sleep at night. When you are worried about your financial situation then you tend to lose your sleep.
- Weight Gain (or Loss): when you are stressed you either don’t eat much or you tend to eat too much leading to an imbalance in your weight.
- Depression: According to a study at the University of Nottingham, people with financial worries are more prone to depression. These cases could amount to more than twice as likely. one feels low and hopeless and there is a loss of concentration which eventually leads to depression.
- Anxiety: often one feels a pounding heartbeat, sudden sweat in the body, panic attack or shakes after a sudden loss in finance. These are all symptoms of an anxiety attack. These attacks are triggered when one feels that the losses are irrecoverable and the mind cannot find a way out of the problem.
- Relationship issues: They say the real test of a relationship comes when there is a lack of money. Squeeze out the money and you will feel that the relationships become more and more stressful. This can lead to quarrels, lack of intimacy and loss of interest in sex. Lack of money can disturb the strongest relationships as well.
- Social Withdrawal: When you have lesser money then you tend to withdraw yourself from social circles because of your own complexes. You start believing that you will not fit into your older friend circle and you remain conscious all the time. This further increases your stress levels.
- Physical Health Issues: Diabetes, blood pressure issues, headaches, joint pains, heart problems and gastrointestinal problems can start to arise with the increase in your stress levels. In countries where healthcare is not free, it is noted that people suffering from financial stress avoid visiting the doctors or delay visiting so that they do not have to incur extra expenses on healthcare, as they already have too many financial burdens.
- Unhealthy ways to cope with financial stress: Some people resort to drinking alcohol, taking illegal drugs, unhealthy eating habits and abusing prescriptions to get away from stress. The extremists can also go to the extent of self-harm or even suicide.
The vicious cycle of financial stress
Financial stress can impact your mental health adversely.
When your mental health is disturbed your ability to manage finances diminishes.
The inability to manage money properly leads to even more financial issues and worsens your mental health even further. So it’s all correlated eventually worsening the overall situation.
Pointers to reduce stress and money problems
Every problem has a solution to it. All we need is the right approach to go about it. Here are a few strategies which may help you break the vicious cycle and may help you solve your money problems and regain stability.
Communication
It is very important for a person suffering from financial issues to talk to close friends and family about it openly. This reduces the mental burden somewhat and also you learn from others. Sometimes someone else’s perspective helps us understand our own problems better. And sometimes someone else’s experiences may help us solve our problems.
Evaluation
One needs to evaluate the situation with utter honesty and see what all recourses are available at disposal. Sometimes we are not aware of the exact situation so one needs to make a list of inventory, debtors, creditors, unpaid bills, pending work etc. Some people try to reduce stress by avoiding situations like not opening bills and avoiding phone calls from creditors or banks. This is a very wrong approach which may lead to an escalation in stress levels tremendously. If you know the exact situation, then you are more likely to find a reasonable solution to most problems. So be true to yourself.
Make a plan and make sure you follow it
If you have a clear situation in your mind then you will also find many solutions to it. Here you need to be careful in choosing the best possible solution and then sticking to it. Once u do this with the right intention you will see things start going your way. Some examples to be followed while dealing with financial stress are as follows. Start living on a tighter budget, limit shopping to only necessities, try to seek Benefits from government schemes, and find a part-time job or an extra source of income.
Monthly budget
If you make a monthly or a weekly budget, you will learn optimum utilization of recourses and there will be a sense of control over your finances.
Overall stress management
Looking at the current economic situation worldwide, one can easily say that easing financial stress cannot be done instantly. It will take time and one needs to take small steps in order to achieve goals and ease your stress levels. Be positive and make sure you do the following
- Take proper sleep
- Exercise and meditate
- Eat Healthily
- Keep your self-esteem high
- Count your blessings
- Always believe that this tough phase will also pass.
- Practice relaxation techniques
- Stay close to your family and friends and share your feelings