Don’t Get Stressed About Money

Do you ever find yourself in a position where you’re stressed about money? I’ve been worried about money in the past, and even a little bit recently too. It’s been a hard few months. You’re not in it alone.

Managing budgets is often seen to be more stressful and cause more anxiety than problems in work, with friends and family or even personal health.

Make a List of Financial Concerns

Trying to tackle all your problems at once will probably make you even more stressed about money. We don’t want that. Instead, make a list of specifically what is worrying you such as saving for Christmas, credit card debts and loans. Or anything else. This puts each issue into perspective. breaking down, or grouping issues together will make things clearer.

Stop Worrying, Start Doing

Placing any kind of financial issue on the back burner can cause more problems than it’s worth, sometimes spiralling out of control. The sooner you start doing something to stop you getting stressed about money, the better you’ll feel, and the quicker your problems will be solved. Battle the easy things first. Have multiple credit cards? Consolidating that debt into a single monthly outgoing might be a good idea. Check out some interest free balance transfer deals.

Budget, Budget, Budget!

Take a look at your bank statement(s). Highlight things that you can and can’t live without. What you need versus what you want. Coffee shop coffee every day? Maybe try instant for a while, just until you’re back on track. Make your own lunch instead of paying through the nose every lunch time. Little things add up. Can you cancel your Netflix or Sky subscription, or make it cheaper?

Talk

Got a problem? Why not bottle it up like the majority of Brits. NO! Talk to friends, partners, family, your next door neighbours cat… maybe not. But you get the idea. A lot of people might even feel the same and some might even have some valuable advice from a similar situation they were in. Failing that the Citizens Advice Bureau or Money Advice Service are there for you to talk in confidence. And if getting stressed about money starts to affect your health, don’t be embarrassed to speak to your GP.

Make Things Easy

I can’t believe how many people still don’t pay for things regularly by direct debit. Sometimes it’s harder to not pay by direct debit! Make sure that you don’t miss payments and incur further debts and stresses by setting up direct debits and standing orders. If you’re having to log in to your bank or customer portal regularly to make payments, look into changing it. Make sure you’re paying bills off at the start of the month (or the day after payday).

Pay Yourself First

Adjusting your spending habits should hopefully leaving you with a little bit of cash spare. Take some of it and put in a separate savings account. Even if it’s just a pound or two to start with, lots of little bits soon add up. Knowing that you’re doing this will help you relax a little.

Get out of Dreamland

If you won the lottery…. no, unless someone else bought you the ticket! I’m not against gambling, but you should fix your money issues before trying to gamble to resolve them. It’s unlikely that you’ll fix all your problems at once. Deal with each problem one by one, getting help if necessary. Remember, don’t give yourself such a hard time. This is fixable.

Don’t Get Stressed About Money

Find something to do that makes you feel positive and happy. Exercise releases chemicals in your body to make you feel good. I’m not saying go and run a marathon, but maybe taking a walk more than usual, just for the pleasure of doing so. Read a book, meet up with friends. Being happy doesn’t have to cost you money.

 

Have you been stressed about money? What helped you get over it? Leave a reply in the comments and feel good about yourself for helping someone else.