Money problems can make you feel like you don’t have a handle on family life and that lack of control can cause anxiety. As a parent, it’s important to reduce the impact of financial stress in your life so you can keep your children from feeling the effects. 

 

Managing financial anxiety

Finding ways to give your mind a break from worrying helps boost your mood and ease your financial anxieties and stress. Financial uncertainty takes a huge toll on mental health, physical health, work, community and our relationships. Money worries impact our sleep, self-esteem and energy levels. Consider the following actions you and your family can do together to reduce your financial anxiety and be more present in your family life:  
  

• Exercise. Even a little regular exercise can help ease stress, boost your mood and energy.


• Practice mindfulness. Find time to relax each day and give your mind a break from worry. Meditating, breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques are excellent ways to relieve stress and restore balance to life.


• Make sleep a priority. Feeling tired may only increase stress and negative thought patterns. Finding ways to improve sleep during times of stress will help both your mind and body.


• Healthy food. A healthy diet rich in fruit, vegetables and omega-3s can help support your mood and improve your energy and outlook.


• Practice gratitude. When you’re overwhelmed by money anxieties and financial uncertainty, it’s easy to focus all your attention on the negatives. While you don’t have to ignore reality and pretend everything’s fine, you can take a moment to appreciate a close relationship, the beauty of a sunset or the love of a pet. 

 

Managing the symptoms of stress is just half the battle

• Consider creating a spending plan to have more awareness of where your money is going. There is simply no better way to regain control of our finances than by creating a spending plan and sticking to it.  We offer a free spending plan worksheet to help you get started. And we have financial health tools that are free to use and are built into mobile and online banking if you prefer a more interactive experience.


• Our financial health quiz is a quick, 2-minute quiz that is a great way to check your vitals. You will see how you are doing with your money, learn the best way for you to build financial slack and see other areas of opportunity.


• The phrase, “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,” doesn’t mean you can’t seek help. This is one of the biggest misconceptions people have about managing finances. Whether you need to get a handle on high credit card debt, fix your credit score, ensure you’re spending less than you make or build an emergency fund—you don’t have to face these things alone.  Talking over your worries can help you make sense of what you’re facing and getting another perspective can help you come up with solutions that you hadn’t thought of alone.

Credit Human is here to support you in your financial journey. If you need help building slack in your family finances come by and see us in your neighborhood Financial Health Center.