Author: admin

Whether you are nervous about the current economic state of the world, feeling overwhelmed at work while worrying about losing your job, or just generally stressed about money, you are not alone. Financial stress is something that I believe plagues us all at points in our lives. From the first time on our own as a college student, to an unstable relationship or marriage, to the holidays, or having to provide for family… money is the constant. Heck, I can recall points in my life where money worries were making me ill with anxiety! So today we are going to look at what is financial stress, symptoms of it, and tips to improve your mental health during financially stressful times.

What is financial stress?

Financial stress can be defined as the state of worry, anxiety, or fear around your current financial situation or the overall economy and is typically accompanied by some sort of physiological response (think your flight or fight response).

Examples of financial stress and symptoms you may be experiencing:

Mentally, financial stress could look like difficulty focusing or brain fog. You may constantly think or worry about potential financial impacts too. Like worrying about losing your job or how you’ll pay the bills if X and Y happen.

Emotionally, financial stress can look like general melancholy, loss of interest in things, or a short fuse, as in you’re quick to lose your temper.

Physically, financial stress can look like difficulty sleeping or breathing, increased headaches or muscle tension, clenched jaw, tightness in the chest, heart racing, general fatigue or brain fog, and so much more.

It all really comes down to how you handle stress and how those symptoms typically present in you; more on that in a minute though!

11 Ways To Cope With Financial Stress And Anxiety

Acknowledge + reflect

Sometimes one of the best things we can do for anxiety, stress, or other mental health struggles is to simply acknowledge them. Take some time to write down everything that keeps floating around in your head. Whether that’s a narrative you’re telling yourself like, “I’m so overwhelmed at work, I’m definitely going to lose my job,” or the pit that develops in your stomach when you think about checking your bank account. Really take some time to dig into this and feel free to add to it over a few days.

I’ve also found that it can help taking this information to someone, like a therapist or trusted person in your life. Sometimes having a witness to your anxieties or worries can help alleviate them. Just make sure if you do share with someone in your life, you let them know you aren’t looking for advice or feedback, just a witness right now.

Lastly, use this exercise as an opportunity to reflect on how you deal with stress related to money. Are you someone who overspends? Emotionally eats? Picks more fights in your relationships? Pay special attention to that last one as the effects of financial stress on families can be a lot.

Face the facts

The reality is, when we worry about something, we often put ourselves through it more times than we need to. What I mean by that is we live through the anxiety/fear every time we think about it, talk about it, and finally, if it eventually happens. Notice I said if… just because we worry about something, doesn’t mean it will happen.

So instead of putting yourself through unnecessary suffering around the thoughts of things that *could* happen, focus on the facts.

This could mean acknowledging the fact you haven’t lost your job. Or it could be checking all of your accounts, reviewing expenses, and pulling your credit profile to get a clear and accurate picture of where things stand.

Make a plan

Now that you are clear on your financial worries and the facts of your situation, it’s time to make a plan forward. I like to look at plans like this as little acts of self care where you’re future self will thank you. The goal is always to alleviate stress, reduce risk, and move you towards your financial goals. Below are a few ideas to get you started on an action plan to break the vicious cycle of financial anxiety and move towards being more fiscally responsible.

Repair credit

Bad credit can cost you big time. Seriously, people with excellent credit scores have opportunities like lower interest rates, lower premiums/pricing, and even potentially better job opportunities.

If your credit score isn’t where you want it to be, and you believe there are unfair, inaccurate, or unsubstantiated items on your credit report, contact Lexington Law today for your FREE credit report consultation. They have an established credit repair process that’s helped hundreds of thousands of people repair their credit each year.

Increase income

One surefire way to reduce financial worries is to increase your income – but not increase your spending. You can do this by checking out these passive income strategies from Lexington Law, starting a side hustle, or in your traditional career.

If you want to stick with your traditional career, you’ll either need to ask your boss for a raise or start looking for a new job. Either way, I suggest reading this article on job benefits that relieve financial stress from Lexington Law, and keeping them in mind when negotiating with your current employer or a potential new one.

If you ask for a raise, make sure you have solid reasoning like how you’ve helped increase the company’s bottom line, gone above and beyond your defined roll, or reference achievements that have historically gotten raises in the company. Do not ask for a raise just because “you need it.”

Looking for a new job is another way to increase your income. Typically, the best time to get a new job is when you’re already employed. This will give you negotiating power for a pay bump. With that said, 2020 has left the workforce a little upside down, so read this post for more tips on looking for a job in the current climate.

Reduce spending

This is my go to whenever I’ve felt financially stressed. I think when we feel anxiety or stress we crave a sense of control in our lives and we have the choice in how we spend our money. If you feel unsure about what to cut from your monthly budget or ways to reduce your spending, I have an entire series with tips for saving money on everyday items to holidays to major life events you can check out here. Personally, I suggest starting with: How To Save Money On Groceries Every Month On A Tight Budget since I find food shopping to be one of the easiest areas to overspend – especially when we are already stressed.

Make one financial decision at a time

Just because you know all of the facts and have a plan, doesn’t mean you need to take action on them all. Focus on making one decision at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed into inaction or back slide on your progress.

Swap your thoughts

When it comes to financial stress you really want to take a total body approach here. Earlier we talked about the different symptoms from the mental toll, social toll, and physical toll that can happen when you’re stressed about money. A regular mindfulness practice can help with the mental load.

The mind is a powerful muscle that we can flex and train, just like any other muscle in the body. When we allow our minds to race and tell us negative stories, we strengthen that part of it. However, we can practice swapping a negative thought for a positive one and begin training the mind to relax and focus on the now instead of a potential future. Because at the end of the day, that’s where anxiety lives: the future.

Exercise

Like i said, we are taking a total body approach for improving our mental health during financially stressful times and exercise has been shown to boost our feel good endorphins and alleviate stress. Even if you aren’t interested in getting a gym membership, simply going for a 30 minute walk outside or having a daily dance party can help.

Engage in generosity

Generosity has been shown to improve your overall health by lowering the risk of depression and anxiety, reducing the stress hormone cortisol, and triggers feel-good chemicals like endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin to make us happy. The simple act of giving – whether it’s your time, thoughtful care packages, or money – can go a long way in improving your mental health when dealing with hard financial times.

Express gratitude

I won’t sit here and pretend to know what you are going through. What I can say is this: whatever you are going through is valid. That’s why I had you acknowledge it as step 1. With that said, I know a lot of people, myself included, need the reminder sometimes that there is always someone out there who has it worse. So, even if it feels impossible, find some ways to practice gratitude for all that you do have. Remind yourself about your values, skills, relationships, or whatever it is that gives your life meaning and celebrate that.

Originally Published by: theconfusedmillennial.com

Can you imagine life without your smartphone?

It’s hard. 

What about a life without social media? 

That’s hard too. 

I often reminisce about the simple life we had before smartphones. And I often worry about how impatient the human race has become because of the instant availability of everything. 

What is more worrying is how kids demand smartphones to play games the minute they are bored. I usually don’t entertain it with my kids but I see it everywhere. 

We are losing the ability to entertain ourselves and enjoy the world around us without this device. 

But I never advise against not using a smartphone or social media at all. 

If we know to draw a line, we can use technology in our favor. I use Instagram for personal development. I follow people who inspire me and my use of Instagram is for my daily dose of inspiration. 

I have learned a lot of new things from social media, so it has only made my life better. 

But its when you use too much of social media that it’s a problem. This post is to give you ideas on entertaining yourself without social media or a smartphone. 

Some of the activities might require you to use your phone depending upon how dependent you are on your phone. For example, I do guide meditations using my phone. Or do home workouts by watching along on Youtube.    15 Powerful Habits of Happy PeoplePlay Video

But don’t worry, I will tell you how you can block social media apps while you use your phone for productive things at the end of this article. Keep reading.

21 ideas to entertain yourself without social media

1. READING

One of the best alternatives to reaching for a phone is reading. You can read anything as long as it is inspirational, educational or entertaining. Be it a book, magazine or blog, make sure you spend at least 10-15 minutes a day on reading to expand your knowledge.

 2. TALK TO PEOPLE FACE TO FACE

Talking to people while your head is bent down to scroll on a phone can’t be counted as a conversation. 

When you have a conversation with people, facial expressions and eye contact does a lot in fostering a connection with them. When you maintain eye contact, you are telling them that you are interested in hearing what they say. 

It also helps in developing intimacy and connection with the other person.

3. DO MEAL PREPPING FOR A WEEK

Do you always fancy yourself eating healthier but think you have no time to prepare healthy meals?

Try meal prepping!

Instead of scrolling on your phone, spend a Sunday evening for healthy meal prepping. Cut vegetables, prepare meat patties, boil quinoa, etc, on a weekend and store it in the refrigerator or freezer to use later in the week. 

You can also make easy energy balls for a week so that you don’t reach for unhealthy packet food as a snack. 

4. DO MEAL PLANNING

For meal prepping to work, you need to have a meal plan in place. Plan your meals for a week and do meal prepping accordingly. 

Meal planning helps to reduce overwhelm and help you have a system for healthy eating in place. 

So, instead of wasting time away on the phone, you can use that time productively for better health for you and your family. 

5. GET OUTDOORS

If you spend a lot of time on social media apps, you could be spending most of your time sitting in one place. To get your body moving and refresh your mind, get outdoors, be it even in your own yard. 

It will give you a nice little boost in energy.

6. JOURNAL 

What do you do when you experience difficult feelings? Do you take the time out to feel through your emotions? 

A side effect of using too much social media is emotional numbness. When we feel sad about an event or a memory, we tend to reach for our phone and open a social media app to numb away that pain instead of taking the time to process it. 

Processing our emotions is important for us to heal, learn from the experience and become stronger. 

Journaling is a great way to release your emotions in a healthy way. But that doesn’t mean you can do journaling only when you are sad. Write in your journal about when you need clarity about something or when you are celebrating your wins too. 

7. SIT STILL

If there is an art of sitting still, it is getting extinct in this smartphone age. People don’t seem to be comfortable about sitting still engaging themselves with their own minds. 

We want the stimulation from our social media feed and we want it now! It is a dangerous place to be in. I see it in my daughter who complains about boredom the minute she has free time. 

Next time when you want to reach for your phone, take 3 deep breaths in and let yourself be bored for some time. Who knows? You might get a life-changing idea during these boring sessions!

8. CALL SOMEONE

Do you think you have no time to call people and talk? You do!

If you track your social media usage you know that you do have time to talk. Use those ten minutes to call someone you have been wanting to call for months. 

9. DECLUTTER 

Another thing we tend to postpone a lot is, clearing up our living space and throwing away things we don’t need anymore. 

We can find time for decluttering too. You don’t need to go on a decluttering spree, but do it one area at a time.

10. EXERCISE

One of the reasons I kept procrastinating on exercise for years is lack of time. But then I realized I am never going to do exercise if I don’t put it in my daily plan.

You can borrow the time used on social media apps for squeezing in daily exercise in your schedule.

11. MAKE A LIST OF THINGS YOU NEVER HAD TIME FOR

You want to do so many things in life – big and small – like wanting to spend time on creative hobbies or to build a side hustle. Write down everything. 

And choose one item from your list you think you can work on consistently for at least the next three-six months. And then when you accomplish it, choose another goal for the next six months. 

12. DIY

Do a DIY project taking inspiration from blogs or Youtube channels. It is a great way to keep your brain active and refresh your mind. 

If you have kids, get them on board so that they can learn to use their time wisely too. 

There are tons of tutorials available online for sewing, knitting, painting, macrame, etc. 

13. DO COLORING

I just jumped onto the bandwagon of adult coloring world and the benefits are said to be many. We live with a lot of stress and coloring at the end of the day can relieve your stress. 

A disadvantage of social media is that it increases your stress because of the constant comparison to other people’s lives.

So instead of that, engage in stress-busting activities for better mental health. 

14. PLAY WITH YOUR PET

Are you a pet lover? Devoting some time daily to play with your pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc. Pets help to remove loneliness and give us companionship. So spend some screen-free time to play with your pets. And it is also beneficial for your physical health because you move more.

15. DEVELOP NEW SKILLS

What’s one skill you have been wanting to improve for months or years now? 

Cooking? Driving? Swimming? Singing? It can be anything. Spend the time you use on your phone to improve your skills. 

You will soon start to realize how you thought you were busy is a lie. 

16. PLAN THE NEXT DAY

Do you know what’s one of the best habits you can develop to change your life? 

Planning your days. 

Most people spend their time before sleep scrolling on their phones. The minutes of social media can turn into hours causing you to have sleep deprivation. And you wake up feeling tired. 

Instead of doing this, take out a planner or journal and write about what you would like to accomplish the next day. Include not only your priority tasks but set time apart for hobbies too. This is a great way to ensure you don’t spend unnecessary time on your phone the next day.

17. WATCH A MOVIE OR A DOCUMENTARY

If you are in a mood to relax and unwind watch a movie or watch your favorite show on Netflix. If you feel like your brain is still feeling good about learning new information, watch a documentary. 

18. DO SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES OR PRACTICE HYGGE

This is my favorite way of spending time. After a hectic day, I like to pamper myself by doing the things I love. It is so relaxing and rejuvenating. It helps me work even better the next day. 

Get a massage, Mani/Pedi, or a spa, because you are worth it!

Another thing I love is practicing hygge. Hygge is a kind of self-care practice that people in Denmark do. It is all about finding happiness and coziness in the small daily things of life.

19. PLAY A SPORT

Call up your friends and play a common favorite sport. You will feel more energized and happy. So much better than the stagnant energy of sitting idle with your phone. 

20. PLAY BOARD GAMES

Spend your free time by playing a board game with the family. These family interactions are so much needed – it helps in improving connection with family members and boost your happiness. 

21. GO TO A PARK AND DO PEOPLE WATCHING

By no means please don’t make others uncomfortable by staring at them. If you are interested in learning about other people, people-watching is a good way to pass time. 

Usually, introverts are said to be good at people watching. They can pick up the behavior, characteristics, and mood of a person by studying their body language. But it should all be done in a subtle way. 

People watching helps us be more aware of the people around us because we miss out on this so much these days due to our phones. 

It helps us to use our brains and expand our imagination because we are making up random stories about these people in our minds. People watching is especially good while traveling to a new place because you can compare different cultures and gain new perspectives about life and people in general. 

Originally Published by: habitsbuzz.com