Money and Stress: More Than Needed, or Need More Than Have?
The ways that money and stress are related are numerous. Many people worry about having enough money constantly. Sometimes, these worries are unfounded and sometimes they are very real.
The bad thing about money worries is that stress is not a constructive solution to solving the money problems- it is a side effect of the problems.
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Stress is caused by an evolutionary reaction from the cavemen days. It was a natural part of the “fight or flee” reaction that gave a caveman the extra boost of adrenaline and cortisol, (stress related hormones) to muster the extra energy needed to deal with the situation. Stress hormones were originally meant to be a short-term burst for survival, not a constant source that had long-term health effects, like they are today.
Stress can be caused from fear of what could happen, versus what has happened. Fear of the unknown is a large cause of stress, especially when it comes to money. Of course, fears of money can be a large stress contributor and on the chart of the highest stressors in life, losing or changing jobs is in the top ten, along with loss of a loved one and moving.
Because of the economy, some people may have several of the top ten stressors in their life right now.Stress can cause fatigue because the constant up and down of stress hormones, elevated blood pressure, and high anxiety levels start to cause physical reactions such as muscle aches, depression, headaches, and a weakened immune system that can bring on real illness.
The old saying “worry never solved anything” or “worries are normally ten times worse than reality” do little to relieve the stress and fatigue that those with money problems feel. In fact, those across the country that are losing their homes because they lost their jobs will get little reassurance from these sayings. The only thing that can resolve stress and money problems is to fix the money problem in order to relieve the stress and anxiety.
But, how is that possible? Most experts say that the feeling of helplessness and the inability to act are primary reasons that stress is not relieved. The lack of control that is felt may be part of the main contributor to stress, which leads to fatigue. Facing money problems and acting quickly, rather than procrastinating can help reduce or solve the problems.
Maybe the loss of a full-time job means getting three part-time jobs to replace it. Maybe cutting out unnecessary expenses like cable and cell phones are necessary to keep from losing the house. Maybe filing bankruptcy and paying a lawyer is a way to get a new financial start. There are ways to alleviate money and stress problems, but they may not be easy options, for the ones that are in those situations.
If you are experiencing money and stress
problems, it is important to act in order to alleviate the stress,
depression, and fatigue. It can become a downward spiral that becomes
worse unless you act to reverse the course, which will eliminate stress
and give you the feeling of control that you desperately need, when it
comes to money problems.
Questions about money and stress? Contact us.
Topic Research Guide & Advertisements
Happiness is many things to many different people, there is no fixed concept on happiness. One United States pioneer said give me liberty or give me death, that is one good way to define happiness.
Since the definition is so foggy, we want only to link happiness with money, and show why money and stress are not a good combination. Why? Because money brings about stressful conditions.
Because the world has just experience a global recession, we all can agree that not enough money can be stressful. If one's well-being is inclusive in how much money he/she has, that is not good. While one is being stressed out because of money, another one is heading to the psychiatrist for help with stress, anxiety, and depression.
Life satisfaction involves people thinking about their life, its good to have money, or even be rich, but it is much better to be happy. Gross national happiness(GNH) is for more important than the gross national product(GDP), this might be very controversial, please follow through.
Happiness does not depend on the abundant of things, all of the money in the world is not conducive to being happy, that comes from "contentment, within". Happy planet index, our goal should not be set to be rich, but to be happy and healthy. All work and no play will stress anyone out eventually. Subjective life satisfaction.
We now come to some personality models, which are introduce to us by Dr. Kathleen Gurney, in which she describes 9 distinct money personality types. According to her, not only do individuals have a physical self, emotional self, a social self, they also have a money/financial self.
- Achiever – Usually a college graduate—mostly married! They feel work and effort will pay off in the long run. They tend to distrust others’ honesty when it comes to money. Being the “take-charge” type, they have a strong need to control their money.
- Entrepreneurs – Usually rank as the higher income earners, they tend to be workaholics who are not motivated by money alone. They use it as a scorecard to measure their success. They reward themselves with the best cars, homes, wines, and investing in the stock market is their favored strategy.
- High Rollers – Money brings them instant power and recognition. They are creative, competitive, and extroverted—they work hard and play harder and money for them is an emotional release. They prefer to risk their assets rather than sit back and be bored by financial security.
- Hunters – Usually highly educated, average to above-average income earners, who make purchase decisions with their hearts rather than their heads. They have a strong work ethic, but attribute their success to “luck”, versus ability and judgment. They lack confidence when it comes to making good decisions about money.
- Money Masters – They are the number one wealth accumulators—even though they don’t earn the most money. They enjoy being involved in investing their money, and enjoy what money brings them. They trust the recommendations of others and make sound investments.
- Perfectionists – They are afraid of making a mistake—so they also avoid making decisions with their money. They consider every angle and find fault with almost all investment decisions. They do TRY to save, but often lack self-esteem when it comes to investing.
- Producers – They work hard, desire more money, but they feel that they have difficulty in “getting ahead”. They don’t understand how the money system works, and lack the confidence to make financial decisions,—because they don’t take the time to understand them.
- Optimists – They are often near retirement age—and the money they have saved has brought them peace of mind. Their money decisions may be impulsive, but not high risk. However, they are not highly involved with investments or taxes—which could cause stress later on.
- Safety Players – They are average earners, and most of their money goes into safe and secure investments. They miss opportunities for more financial growth by not taking calculated risks. They feel they are doing just fine—and are resistant to making any changes to their investment strategies.Finally my people all over the world, the abundance of life does not rest in material things, it is within you!
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