2693: Is Stressing Out Over Money Hurting Your Health? by Vicki Cook and Amy Blacklock of Women Who Money

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[00:00:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Is Stressing Out Over Money Hurting Your Health by Vicki Cook and Amy Blacklock of WomenWhoMoney.com

[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and I'm your host and narrator, Dr. Neal. Hey there, happy Saturday and welcome back to another

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_00]: weekend edition of Optimal Health Daily. This is where I read to you from some of the best health

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_00]: and fitness blogs on the web and always with a bit of my commentary at the end. So, with that,

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_00]: let's get right to the post for today as we optimize your life. Is Stressing Out Over Money

[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Hurting Your Health by Vicki Cook and Amy Blacklock of WomenWhoMoney.com

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_00]: You hate to admit it, but even if you don't say it out loud,

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm so stressed out, describes how you feel most of the time. Work is stressful,

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_00]: getting the kids to daycare, school and all of their activities is stressful,

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_00]: helping your aging parents is stressful, dealing with a challenging medical situation in your

[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_00]: family is stressful, and your financial stress is always there. You haven't been to the gym

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00]: in months, you look forward to a glass of wine or two each night, you're snapping at your kids

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: and your partner too often, and you can't remember the last time you had a good night's sleep.

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Payday is the only day you feel some relief, but it doesn't last for long.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Your stress about money is hurting your health, and you're not alone.

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Why is there so much financial stress? You don't have to look too far to find

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER_00]: statistics about large numbers of people feeling stressed about money.

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Revolving balances on credit card debt in the average American household is almost $7,000.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_00]: 70% of college graduates, or over 44 million Americans, have student loan debt averaging

[00:02:26] [SPEAKER_00]: over $37,000. In a survey by CareerBuilder, 78% of full-time workers reported living paycheck

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: to paycheck, and 56% said they were in over their heads regarding debt. Even with many

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: positive indicators, a 2021 Federal Reserve report on the economic well-being of U.S. households

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: showed that 11% of people surveyed couldn't cover a $400 emergency expense with any method.

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Those are just some of the sobering statistics you'll find explaining

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_00]: why so many people feel stressed about their finances.

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Ways stress affects your health It's important to stop and look at all

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: of the different ways stress is negatively impacting your health, your relationships,

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: and your quality of life. The pressure you are feeling might be a short-term issue,

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_00]: but there's also a chance you're struggling with chronic stress and you don't even realize it.

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Stress impacts your physical health Financial stress affects your physical

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_00]: health in a variety of ways. It may be causing the migraines or headaches you're experiencing,

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_00]: or they could be the result of grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw due to stress.

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Do you have trouble sleeping? In addition to daytime tiredness,

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00]: irritability and a higher risk of injury or accidents are concerns.

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_00]: If you have chronic sleep problems, you could increase the chance of having severe health

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_00]: issues including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more. If you struggle to sleep,

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: you might drink a lot of coffee to stay alert during the day. And for some, high caffeine

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: levels can impact your ability to sleep at night. This creates a cycle of poor sleep

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and the need for even more caffeine. Caffeine, again in some individuals,

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_00]: may also give you heart palpitations and indigestion. And stress might affect your

[00:04:15] [SPEAKER_00]: diet in other ways too. Do you reach for a bag of cookies or a carton of ice cream when you're

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00]: stressed? Foods loaded with refined sugars and saturated fats might make you feel better for

[00:04:26] [SPEAKER_00]: a few minutes, but they're foods high in calories and low in nutrients, not choices promoting good

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_00]: health. Worse yet, you may reach for alcoholic drinks or cigarettes as a way to deal with stress.

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_00]: The more stress you face, the more you might drink or smoke or both as a way to deal with

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_00]: your problems. Don't forget these are not just bad for your health, they're not good for your bank

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: account either. Feeling stressed, you're more likely to skip any kind of exercise routine too

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: even though it could reduce your stress levels. All of these physical ailments can add to your

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_00]: stress level and financial concerns if you need to take time off work for doctor's appointments,

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: medical tests, physical therapy or take over-the-counter and prescription medications.

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Stress impacts your emotional and mental health. In addition to all of the physical health issues

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_00]: people face from stress, their emotional and mental health can also suffer. Constant stress

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_00]: about your finances can make you anxious and bring on depression. This can affect your mood,

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: your productivity and your ability to make sound decisions. Stress may even cost you your job,

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_00]: creating even more financial stress. Financial stress can also create ongoing tension and

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_00]: hard feelings between people in a relationship or within a family. Living paycheck to paycheck

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_00]: and consistently spending more than you earn leads to chronic financial stress,

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and financial abuse can result in significant emotional and mental health challenges.

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Similar to physical ailments, chronic stress can cost you time and money in terms of your health.

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Anxiety, depression and relationship issues are just a few reasons you may miss work,

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_00]: seek medical treatment or therapy, take prescription medications and more. While

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_00]: spending money to address your stress is crucial to your health, facing your financial situation

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00]: may also help alleviate some of these health problems. Take control of your financial stress

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: to improve your health. It's clear that financial stress along with the other stressors you face in

[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_00]: life can hurt you if the stress persists over time. It's normal for people to have some level

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_00]: of stress, but it isn't normal for your physical, emotional or mental health to be impacted.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: There are some things you can do to help relieve some stress and make it easier to manage your

[00:06:41] [SPEAKER_00]: life and relationships as you work to get your financial situation under control. Remember,

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_00]: you probably didn't get into financial problems overnight and you aren't going to fix them that

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER_00]: quickly either. 1. If you're feeling a significant level of stress, find a support system fast.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Talk to family members, your doctor, a therapist or counselor, a career life coach or a financial

[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_00]: coach or anyone else who you feel comfortable speaking with. You don't have to take on stress

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_00]: alone. If you're eligible for any type of government services or if your community offers

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: financial support in any way, take advantage of what's available. 2. Focus on what you put into

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: your body each day and get moving. Skip happy hour or grabbing a fast food dinner. Instead,

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_00]: go home and get out for a walk. Make a healthy meal and don't indulge in a sugary dessert before

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_00]: you go to bed. Also, turn off the electronics at least an hour before you go to sleep. The better

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_00]: you feel, the better you'll be able to handle the stressful situations you face each day.

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_00]: 3. If you don't use a budget or track your expenses, make it a priority. While you may be in

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_00]: a worse financial situation than you even realize, the opposite may also be true. Without knowing how

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: much income you bring in each month and where each dollar is being spent, you're bound to have

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: financial stress. Building an emergency fund, even a small one, will help you sleep better at night too.

[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And 4. If your income doesn't cover your bills, you have some decisions to make. Do you have time

[00:08:16] [SPEAKER_00]: to add a part-time job or will that cause more stress? Does reducing your expenses make more

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_00]: sense? If you still aren't sure what to do after looking at your options, talk to someone you trust.

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_00]: They may suggest ideas you haven't even considered. It's not selfish, it's smart. Putting

[00:08:34] [SPEAKER_00]: your health first doesn't mean joining a fancy gym and getting further in debt. It means your

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_00]: physical, emotional and mental health matters and that you should take steps to reduce chronic

[00:08:43] [SPEAKER_00]: stress, regardless of the cause. It takes time to make changes, build new habits and break cycles

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_00]: such as overspending and overeating. But every positive move you make can reduce your stress

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_00]: and improve your overall wellness. You just listened to the post titled,

[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Is stressing out over money hurting your health? by Vicki Cook and Amy Blacklock of

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_00]: womenwhomoney.com and I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Neil here for my commentary. The Rolling Stones, yes the rock band,

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_00]: define stress pretty well with their lyric, I can't get no satisfaction. One of the most

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_00]: common reasons we experience stress is that feeling of a lack of control. So that means,

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_00]: a way to relieve stress, financial or otherwise, is to take back some of that control. That's what's

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: lead to at least some satisfaction. Now, it's not always possible to take back all control or even

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER_00]: some control, it depends. For example, you may not be able to control your boss's attitude,

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_00]: but you can control how you respond to it. Or the alternative is to let go of those things

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_00]: we cannot control, let them go psychologically. That means we do what we can, but then we let

[00:10:04] [SPEAKER_00]: the rest go again psychologically. Freeing ourselves of that burden can relieve a lot

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_00]: of that stress. And one of the best tips I ever heard when it comes to relieving financial stress

[00:10:15] [SPEAKER_00]: is this, make things automatic. Meaning, with your bank, which you can do online right now,

[00:10:23] [SPEAKER_00]: set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to a savings account. It can be a dollar

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_00]: a day, a dollar a month, five dollars a month, whatever you can afford. But set it up right now

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_00]: so that it's automatic and you don't even have to think about it. And before you know it,

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_00]: that account is going to look really healthy. Alright, that'll do it for another Saturday show.

[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much as always for listening. Thank you for sharing this show with someone.

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you have a great rest of your day and I'll see you back here again tomorrow

[00:10:54] [SPEAKER_00]: where optimal life awaits!