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Your hands are slightly clammy and your heart races as you log onto your internet banking. You gulp your Chardonnay a little too quickly as you wait for the statement to load. Yes! You do a little victory jig when you see your salary transfer beat the cheque you wrote out for your fab new shag rug.
For a week or two, your salary check has pushed you from red to black, but soon you will be limping through the month hoping that your lottery tickets will save the day. Given that your chances of winning the lottery are 1 in 2.3 million, you may have to hedge your bets.
While we can manage a wry smile at the folly of living above our means, financial stress can result in some alarming consequences, having to live off cereal and Marie biscuits, being the lesser of the evils.
Much has been written about Stress and the warning signs. Whether you are in the firing line of those who are stressed or under stress yourself, you know how it feels and either way, it’s not pleasant. It appears that increasingly the stock response to the question ‘How are you?” is “Stressed”.
While we are familiar with the causes, symptoms and resultant behaviour of stress we need to understand what stress is and what happens behind the scenes.
Stress is defined as a consequence of any action, situation, or event, which places special demands on a person. Special demands in this instance
meaning unusual, physically or psychologically threatening or outside an individual’s usual set of behaviors. Believe it or not, running out of cash in the middle of the month fits well into this definition. Clammy hands and a raised heartbeat is your body’s way of telling you that your behaviour needs to be modified.
Stress means different things to different people. From a layperson's perspective, stress can be described as feeling tense, anxious, worried or having the "blues." Scientifically, these feelings are manifestations of the stress experience. Stress is not only manifested in the mind. The physical changes in the body can cause severe discomfort and even death.
In the old days when Woolly Mammoths were still threatening us, the physical response to stress was useful. The body released adrenaline into the bloodstream, which in turn released stored fat. This fat was used by the muscles to give us a boost, enabling us to run or fight (flight or fight syndrome). This explains why we are capable of unusual strength when faced with a physical threat.
Modern man does not have to fight wild animals any more, stress comes in a different form. Unfortunately the adrenaline produced by our bodies in response to stress is not used up by the muscles. The extra fat floating around in the body is tends to settle in our arteries causing heart disease.
So what has this got to do with money and finances? For starters, it is a well- documented fact that “money issues” are cited as the leading cause of divorce. Oliver Werneyer, a risk actuary for liberty life says “It is not necessarily having money or not having money that is the issue. It is the consequences of the situation you find yourself in that is weighing on your mind so heavily. You may feel vulnerable and at risk of losing your hard earned assets.
This feeling of vulnerability can cause you to react aggressively towards the person you believe is responsible”. Financial worries permeate every part of our lives. When we go shopping we feel guilty about spending, when our kids start a new school term we worry about fees, and when we go on vacation we worry about the credit card bills. Financial stress looms over our heads like a black acid cloud.
So if you are in the habit of saying to yourself “My life is fine except for my financial situation” you are playing a fools game. Imagine for a moment that you woke up this morning and you realised that it was pay -day. As you lie in bed contemplating the day ahead you remember that this is the first time in your life that you are totally debt free. No car or bond payments, credit cards or store cards. No more calls from grumpy creditors and no more cereal for dinner. Today you will receive R20,000 and after you have paid for groceries, investments and general expenses you have R5000 left over.
How would that feel?
Do you think a demanding boss would get you down or you would go into frenzy because your child lost a school shirt? Probably not. The overwhelming peace of mind you achieve by being financially fit can change the way you react to situations and life in general, in other words, reactions to situations become constructive rather than emotional. Strangely, the more money you have the easier it is to say “No” not only to those who make unreasonable demands on your pocket but also yourself.
Liberty’s Werneyer says “When you have a clear head with no financial worries, you are better positioned to judge an opportunity on its merits and not its promises.” You will have so much fun watching your financial situation improve every month that you will want to keep up the momentum. When you operate from an abundance mentality you are able to make financial decisions based of logic and not guilt. This mindset will enable you to build real wealth.
So if you are succumbing to the negative effects of stress, have a good look at the way you run your finances. Not only will your personal life and health improve but work will become a breeze. When you are stress free you can refocus your energy into your job. This in turn will enhance your career (because you will impress the boss so much) enabling you to earn more money. If you are self employed, the lack of stress improves creativity.
No-one can be creative and constructive when there are creditors baying for bucks. There is simply no down side, to getting your finances under control.
Take the first step by scrutinising your debt and start paying it off.
What would you do to manage your finances better? Share with our readers some of your thoughts.
For a week or two, your salary check has pushed you from red to black, but soon you will be limping through the month hoping that your lottery tickets will save the day. Given that your chances of winning the lottery are 1 in 2.3 million, you may have to hedge your bets.
While we can manage a wry smile at the folly of living above our means, financial stress can result in some alarming consequences, having to live off cereal and Marie biscuits, being the lesser of the evils.
Much has been written about Stress and the warning signs. Whether you are in the firing line of those who are stressed or under stress yourself, you know how it feels and either way, it’s not pleasant. It appears that increasingly the stock response to the question ‘How are you?” is “Stressed”.
While we are familiar with the causes, symptoms and resultant behaviour of stress we need to understand what stress is and what happens behind the scenes.
Stress is defined as a consequence of any action, situation, or event, which places special demands on a person. Special demands in this instance
meaning unusual, physically or psychologically threatening or outside an individual’s usual set of behaviors. Believe it or not, running out of cash in the middle of the month fits well into this definition. Clammy hands and a raised heartbeat is your body’s way of telling you that your behaviour needs to be modified.
Stress means different things to different people. From a layperson's perspective, stress can be described as feeling tense, anxious, worried or having the "blues." Scientifically, these feelings are manifestations of the stress experience. Stress is not only manifested in the mind. The physical changes in the body can cause severe discomfort and even death.
In the old days when Woolly Mammoths were still threatening us, the physical response to stress was useful. The body released adrenaline into the bloodstream, which in turn released stored fat. This fat was used by the muscles to give us a boost, enabling us to run or fight (flight or fight syndrome). This explains why we are capable of unusual strength when faced with a physical threat.
Modern man does not have to fight wild animals any more, stress comes in a different form. Unfortunately the adrenaline produced by our bodies in response to stress is not used up by the muscles. The extra fat floating around in the body is tends to settle in our arteries causing heart disease.
So what has this got to do with money and finances? For starters, it is a well- documented fact that “money issues” are cited as the leading cause of divorce. Oliver Werneyer, a risk actuary for liberty life says “It is not necessarily having money or not having money that is the issue. It is the consequences of the situation you find yourself in that is weighing on your mind so heavily. You may feel vulnerable and at risk of losing your hard earned assets.
This feeling of vulnerability can cause you to react aggressively towards the person you believe is responsible”. Financial worries permeate every part of our lives. When we go shopping we feel guilty about spending, when our kids start a new school term we worry about fees, and when we go on vacation we worry about the credit card bills. Financial stress looms over our heads like a black acid cloud.
So if you are in the habit of saying to yourself “My life is fine except for my financial situation” you are playing a fools game. Imagine for a moment that you woke up this morning and you realised that it was pay -day. As you lie in bed contemplating the day ahead you remember that this is the first time in your life that you are totally debt free. No car or bond payments, credit cards or store cards. No more calls from grumpy creditors and no more cereal for dinner. Today you will receive R20,000 and after you have paid for groceries, investments and general expenses you have R5000 left over.
How would that feel?
Do you think a demanding boss would get you down or you would go into frenzy because your child lost a school shirt? Probably not. The overwhelming peace of mind you achieve by being financially fit can change the way you react to situations and life in general, in other words, reactions to situations become constructive rather than emotional. Strangely, the more money you have the easier it is to say “No” not only to those who make unreasonable demands on your pocket but also yourself.
Liberty’s Werneyer says “When you have a clear head with no financial worries, you are better positioned to judge an opportunity on its merits and not its promises.” You will have so much fun watching your financial situation improve every month that you will want to keep up the momentum. When you operate from an abundance mentality you are able to make financial decisions based of logic and not guilt. This mindset will enable you to build real wealth.
So if you are succumbing to the negative effects of stress, have a good look at the way you run your finances. Not only will your personal life and health improve but work will become a breeze. When you are stress free you can refocus your energy into your job. This in turn will enhance your career (because you will impress the boss so much) enabling you to earn more money. If you are self employed, the lack of stress improves creativity.
No-one can be creative and constructive when there are creditors baying for bucks. There is simply no down side, to getting your finances under control.
Take the first step by scrutinising your debt and start paying it off.
What would you do to manage your finances better? Share with our readers some of your thoughts.
