The entire country is experiencing rough times and it may not get better anytime soon. This is a reflection of what is also occurring down at the personal level with individuals, families, households and businesses. As we feel ourselves being squeezed between the proverbial rock and hard place, giving in to our instincts for flight or fight is misguided; there is no place to hide and nobody to terminate. The up side to all of this is that things will be much better than ever before once we choose the correct course of action.
For an increasingly large number of us who rely on credit to buy products and services we can not conveniently pay for outright, such as necessary medical or dental services, car or home repairs, or that $600 pair of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, or Ferragamo shoes, we get into a credit bind when our overhead exceeds our income. If the situation gets out of hand and requires desperate measures, such as filing bankruptcy or selling your home, this can be traumatic, both physically and emotionally.
As the Greek philosopher Epictetus taught, "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." When you read of the Holocaust, those who survived never gave up hope. The connection between stress and anxiety, depression, and physical disease is the reason to recognize and address the impact of debt on your wellbeing. In order to prevent headaches, insomnia, gastric ulcers, and a host of other disorders, here are a few tips to minimize the stress of debt.
• Have a game plan.
Develop a strategy for handling your debt, either by setting up a payment program, consulting with a financial advisor, or researching advice online.
• Establish a budget.
Know where every penny is going and cut the waste. Take advantage of grocery store coupons; keep driving the old car instead of buying a new one; shop for
discount auto insurance and other bargains online.
• Enlist the help and advice of friends, coworkers and family.
By networking and establishing communication with others who may have been in your situation, you can gain understanding and learn ways to cope.
• Maximize your health.
Get plenty of sleep. Drink adequate water. Take multivitamins. Exercise. Practice deep relaxation.
• Think positively.
All of us run automatic negative thoughts through our minds over and over that overflow into our beliefs and actions. You can replace those thoughts with ones that stimulate problem solving centers in the brain and evoke positive emotions.
We need to stay healthy and emotionally in control to be effective and overcome our difficulties. Debt is no different than other social problems that cause us to adapt. If you plan to survive traffic gridlock, water and air pollution, and violence in the street, you need preserve your health and program positive thoughts to overcome these problems. Now, return to the list of tips to reduce stress and put at least one of them into motion.
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