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Financial Journey
(featured column)
Stress and Financial Worries – A
Vicious Cycle
by
Karen Kuebler
I found myself
recently in a Catch 22 which caused me to think about how stress and financial
concerns can create a vicious cycle that is hard to break out of. In our case,
we have needed to assist family with some serious financial problems.
As a result, we are supporting two households and have been for almost
two years. Thank goodness for the
tools that I have learned over the years in saving money and cutting down on
expenses, or we wouldn’t be in a position to help out our family.
More...
Being put in this position helped me to
realize how much strain can be caused by financial pressures.
Rising prices with gasoline and utility bills are affecting everybody.
I know we weren’t the only ones experiencing higher bills with heating
our home this winter. Now, summer
is here and utility bills rise as we turn on our air conditioners.
If we don’t have air conditioners, then the hot summer days can be
stressful. Having children home for the summer might create additional
pressures. The cost to take a
vacation is rising whether you are driving or flying to your destination of
choice, which might lead to less vacations, which in turn might not provide the
R&R you need to regroup.
As I realized how we were feeling squeezed
and the resulting anxiety it was causing, it made me take a step back and look
at the bigger picture. The bottom
line was to get a handle on the stress before it created more problems.
The point of this article is to discuss
tools for handling stress so that you will be more in control to deal with
financial pressures you might be facing. Being
stressed out can lead to emotional spending, lack of clarity in making
decisions, health problems which can create more expenses, low energy levels,
lack of motivation, and much more. In
summary, it can cause an overall lack of joy and living a happy and fulfilling
life.
The following are some cost effective keys
for lowering your stress levels and improving your overall quality of life:
 | Eat
nutritiously. If you
don’t fuel your body with the right nutrients, you’ll pay the price
whether it results in fatigue, health problems, weight gain, etc.
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| Exercise
regularly. I’m
stating this one as a reminder for myself as well as our readers!
When it is hot, I have to motivate myself much harder to exercise.
However, exercise is one of the best natural stress relievers around.
Find something you enjoy doing and stir it up and vary your routine.
It might require getting out earlier in the morning, but it is well
worth it.
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| Utilize
your support systems. There
are a variety of support systems available to you whether it is your
friends, family, therapist, church or other organizations you belong to, gym
classes, book clubs, etc.. As I
wrote this, I reminded myself that Weight Watchers is a great support system
for me, and it’s time for me to take advantage of that support again.
If you can’t find any support systems in your world, then maybe
it’s time to think about joining a group of some type.
Facing the world alone can be very stressful.
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| Develop
your own comfort list. What
things bring you comfort after a stressful day?
Listening to music, reading, sitting quietly outdoors and listening
to nature, a bubble bath, a nice walk to clear your head, talking to a close
friend, playing with your children, cuddling with a pet, a quiet dinner with
your spouse? Create your own
comfort list and post it in a visible spot to remind yourself to do
something from this list each day.
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| Involve
your family in solving problems and creating solutions.
If you are like me, you might often feel the burden of the world is
all on your shoulders and you alone have to solve all the problems.
Let go of your burden. Lay
them on the table. Let others
help you by involving them. If
you take the burden on yourself, others will usually not reach out to remove
it from you unless you ask for help. Don’t
be afraid to ask for help!
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| Avoid
toxic people, activities, and habits. You will know who these people are or what activities in
your life drain you and leave you feeling exhausted, anxious, depressed,
angry, etc. Let go of them –
this can be challenging and might require some serious soul searching.
But, in the long run, toxic people and activities that you continue
to let into your life will continue to cause hassles and tension.
Is the return you are receiving worth the effort to continue in these
relationships or situations?
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| Utilize
resources available, such as Better Budgeting. If you are finding
the root cause of your stress to be primarily financial problems, make a
commitment to take charge and take control of your life.
Our monthly newsletter
is filled with countless ideas to help you cut expenses, get out of debt,
shop wisely, and get your financial situation in order. If you need additional help you might want to consider signing
up for our 5-week Better
Budgeting Class. Again, there could be many challenges
ahead of you, but it “is”
possible and can be done. There
are many success stories of those who have overcome financial set backs,
including bankruptcy, by making a commitment and taking control of their
lives.
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| Vacation
at home. If the cost of taking a vacation is prohibitive, or you
want to find ways to save additional money, take your vacations at and/or
nearby your home. When we
visited Washington D.C. for a marvelous vacation, we found countless people
in the area who had lived there for years and had not explored the sites
that we had seen on our vacation. What
a waste! Learn about the
history and visit the sites that are within a days’ drive, pack your
picnic meals, and then come home for a comfortable night’s rest. Make a week of it.
Don’t answer phones or return computer emails.
Pretend you have disappeared cross country for a week or two.
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| Take
superb care of yourself. You
are your single most valuable investment!
If you don’t take care of yourself, and become depleted from
stress, you will have nothing to offer or give to others.
And, in addition, you won’t be enjoying your own life.
To take superb care of yourself, you have to set this as a number one
priority and then follow some of the steps outlined above.
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Once you take stock and make it a priority
to take control of the stress, you will find yourself making less mistakes,
thinking more clearly, making sound decisions, feeling more motivated, and
working more efficiently which will pay dividends in giving you more time to do
other things.
Time is a valuable resource that once
wasted, cannot be retrieved. Think
of the time you will have to creatively find ways to bring in additional income,
resourceful ideas to cut expenses, reduce your debt, and build your savings.
You will find yourself forging ahead instead of caught in a vicious
cycle, and that is worth the effort!
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Copyright
© 2007 by Karen Kuebler. All rights reserved. Want more
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