Today I wanted to talk to you about some top tips as to how we can manage anxiety and financial stress during the current Coronavirus outbreak. I think this is one of the most important topics right now bearing in mind everything that’s going on in the economy. Not knowing what is going to happen can be extremely stressful, so I just want to leave you with some really tangible, useful tips that you can use to help yourself to think about reducing some of the anxiety and financial stress.
The reason this is really important is because your financial well being and how you feel about money is just as important as what you have. One of things I always like to talk about is that your self worth is more important than your net worth. How you feel about money, your stress levels, everything that’s going on a physical level is just as important.
Your well being is as important as what’s in your bank account. So I want to just leave you with some really tangible tips.
Coping with Anxiety and financial stress
- Manage the Emotion
- Be kind to yourself
- Limit your news watching
- Raise your vibe
- Shift your language
- Focus on today
- Know your triggers
- Have some fun
Manage the emotion
The first thing is the emotion, how we feel about money, what we think, what we feel, and how we behave. Because ultimately that drives our behaviours in what we do and how we manage our money. There’s no point in you learning the most practical tips about managing money if you haven’t got the right beliefs and thoughts in the first place.
Be kind to yourself
Some people are better at dealing with uncertainties than others, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re feeling emotional, anxious, worried, or angry right now. These are unprecedented times, and it is normal to feel a whole range of emotions. The important thing is to take steps to manage those emotions so that you can effectively manage your anxiety and financial stress during this uncertain time.
Limit how much news you watch
With everything happening in the world, it can be hard to look away. But compulsively checking the news will only keep you in a heightened emotional state. Try to limit how much you watch the news to a maximum of once a day.
Raise your vibe
The first step is to raise your vibe. I don’t know about you, but at the moment, depending on what you’re reading, how you’re feeling, what’s happening with your work situation, what’s happening with the children, whether you’re self isolating; raising your vibe is really, really important.
A really super easy way to do that is to just put some music on. For those who did my little challenge back in January, every time I went live I would be bopping around the room to some music tracks. One of my favourites is Jessie J – Price Tag. I love the lyrics in that song, and it just gets my vibe up and bouncy and feeling good, and I think that’s really important. Whatever you can do to make yourself feel better is going to put you into a much better mental position to be able to cope with any stresses of the day.
Shift your language
By raising your vibe you’re shifting your energy, but it’s also important to shift your language, changing how you feel internally. When you can identify the emotion then you can identify where that’s being stored and shake it out. It’s equally as important to identify the language you’re using, the things you’re telling yourself, and think about how you can shift that or re-frame that.
Focus on today
Sometimes what happens when we get stressed is we we create this story in our minds. We’re like, “Oh, my God. I’m going to have to work from home. That means I’m not going to earn as much money. That means I’m not going to be able to attract as many clients because I have kids at home.” We create this story and by the end of it we’re thinking ‘Oh my God the world is going to blow up. I’m never going to survive.’ So focus on the here and now, as in today, what can you do today?
Take stock of the resources that you have available to you today. Accept the current state of affairs and just take stock of the resources that you have available to you.
Know your triggers
Really understand what is it is triggering that uncertainty and that anxiety for you. And I know that obviously the current situation may be triggering that, but think about things that you can control. So maybe limit who you’re following on social media. If people are being really negative, just unfollow them even just for a short period. Understand what triggers you and try to either avoid that or just communicate and have a conversation with somebody about it.
Have some fun!
Right now everything’s really serious, and everything feels really uncertain. So how can you create a little bit of fun in your life? Even if that is prancing around your garden, jumping on the kid’s trampoline, climbing a tree. Do something that’s going to make you feel good.
Reach out to your community. There’s an app that I absolutely love called Marco Polo. It’s an American based app and I use it several times a day with my best friends. You can video each other, a bit like Whatsapp but with videos, so you can see each other. It’s a great way to be supporting each other during times of uncertainty. So reach out to friends, because you’re not alone.
Dealing with Anxiety and Financial Stress
Really, what we’re talking about in all of these tips is that if we can provide strong foundations for you, then you’re going to feel better. You’re going to behave differently. You’re going to act differently, and look after your financial well being.
Resources:
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