Financial Stress

Stressed About Money? Try These 6 Tips

Posted by on July 28, 2011 in Empower Yourself

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Financial stress can be one of the biggest pressure points of your life. According to a recent poll, over 70% of respondents reported feeling very stressed about money, while only 10% were not stressed at all.

We often feel stress as pressure or strain, as a sense of urgency or weight, and it’s not uncommon for it to be caused by immaterial things. Stress causes health problems, mental anxiety, and strain within our relationships. Successfully handling stress will improve your quality of life, the lives of others around you, and generally improve your well-being.

Many people mistakenly believe having more money will eliminate daily stress. Sometimes this is the case, like if you become unemployed or under-employed with sporadic income.

But for most of us, making more money can actually worsen the situation. Making more money and increasing your revenue creates an even greater need to properly manage your finances.

Here are six tips to reduce your financial stress:

Change Your Views

Re-frame the way you think about your money and you’ll change the way you feel about your financial situation. Changing your outlook can make a negative situation more positive. Money doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it all depends on how you view it.

Take Small Steps

Taking small steps towards your goal, whatever that may be, is the best way to ensure success. Much like the story of the tortoise and the hare, small, consistent changes will always win over any quick fix. Just focus on today’s problems and let tomorrow take care of itself.

Find Help

Talk to a wise friend, family member or professional who has a proven track record of managing finances properly. You should seek out good and sound advice. You don’t want to be taking tips from someone who is similarly struggling with money.

Take a Break

Focus on something else, like spending time with your family, enjoying a hobby, or watching a movie. Be sure to make a conscious effort to take your mind off your stress and live in the moment.

Reduce Debt

Being in debt can be a major stress point for anyone, and getting out of debt takes willpower and discipline. Find what motivates you to get out of debt, like testimonies from others or podcasts that offer advice and tips. These can inspire and motivate you to become financially independent.

Don’t Give Up

Reject all thoughts of failure, and never believe that financial challenges are a sign of personal weakness. Even some of the richest people in the world go through rough patches; you just have to keep trying and never give up.

Does managing your finances stress you out? How do you make the process easier? Help relieve someone else’s stress by sharing your tips in our comments section below.

Carrie Smith is a PerkStreet Customer Columnist who has worked as a freelance Certified Bookkeeper for nine years and as a Tax Specialist for four. She specializes in small business and oil and gas accounting. She has written several finance and accounting articles at Hubpages.com, and also writes regularly on her own blog. Follow her on Twitter @applecentsmith.

Photo: Bhernandez

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  • Fulhill

    I loved this.  I may be a little prejudice but what an informative, intelligent, and discussion of today’s problem for most people article.  Keep up the good work Carrie.
    Carolyn

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YBBO33A6UR5DWFSAUEEKI4VO3M Varina Brown

    Hi,
    This is a very well written and compiled blog post. I really liked reading it. Thanks for sharing such nice and useful information with us all. :)
    ___________
    freelance seo

  • Anonymous

    Many of these tips are good ways to deal with stress in general not just financial stress. Good article thanks!

  • http://www.ganpati-industries.com seo freelancer

    Thanks for a great post. Love it.