There is a silent epidemic afflicting approximately 30 million U.S. workers. You very well may be one of them – if you worry about money.
Sometimes that looks like stress over your day-to-day finances.
Other times, it’s concern over your future financial goals. Or, having apprehension around whom to trust with helping you to make financial decisions.
At even other times, it’s a more abstract fear about something that certainly impacts you but that you have little control over: the economy.
Whatever the trigger, you don’t leave your financial stress at home.
So, when you walk through the proverbial office door (even if it’s your home office), your financial stress tags along with you. As a result, it impacts your productivity, focus and creativity.
I am not so naive to suggest that any one of us can eliminate financial stress entirely. There’s likely to always be a little tension between where you are and where you want to be — that’s healthy stress.
But here are a few recommendations on how to take control of the financial stress that is unhealthy, all-consuming and blocking you from experiencing more (and costing your employer approximately $7,000 in lost productivity each year!):
- Come clean – worry about money is called a silent epidemic because most people keep their financial problems close to the vest. Or worst yet, they bury their head in the sand believing when they come up for air the problem will be smaller or non-existent. Admit something is amiss, even if it’s just to yourself.
- Define the nature of your financial stress – addressing your day-to-day concerns about money the same way you would your fears about the economy will only add to your stress levels! Make sure your stress management approach matches they type of stress (or stresses) you have.
- Create a plan of action – emphasis on action! Don’t just lay out what you’re going to do, but also note when, how and what tool/resources you’ll tap into.
- Don’t wait – “when/then” thinking will jeopardize your efforts to reduce your stress,
- Ask for help – it can be in the form of professional help or by enlisting a family member/friend to be your accountability partner. You don’t have to tackle your financial stress alone…unless you want to.
- Give yourself credit – take the time to acknowledge your financial strengths and figure out how you can do more of what you do well.
- Be humble enough to recognize that financial stress isn’t just about financial dysfunction.
One of the biggest problems with financial stress is how the circumstances of it force you to be a lopsided thinker. You’re so preoccupied with identifying a short-term solution, you don’t have the capacity to think long-term…to operate at your highest level of being and be the strategic, tactical, productive, engaged and creative person that you are!
Reducing your financial stress means increasing your financial peace of mind, which will make you happier and more productive (and potentially make you and your employer more profitable). Suhweet, right?!
So, let’s do this together.
I invite you to join me on Thursday, 29 January at 8pm ET for our annual Financial Open House. You come with questions; I show up with answers; and, we’ll have a good time!
