Money Matters

[Zeesi]

I think in most cases a lack of money is what can cause anxiety and depression, but then again we have all heard of situations where a person has a lot of money, and that abundance causes them to worry about their money, and stress out over it. Many times money is not the problem though, it is a person's attitude towards money.


It seems to me like your mother is used to being your boss, and you are used to being "under" her. Are you afraid to stand up to your mother and tell her NO? In a nice way, in a gentle way, in a very respectful way, but firmly tell her how you feel and stick to this decision?

 

[Ashley0323]

Yes, when it comes to money problems, my anxiety will go crazy. We are a single income household (technically). My fiance works FT outside the home, and I am a freelance writer from home. My income varies. I can make only $30 one month, other months closer to $500, it just depends, on a lot of factors. If, for whatever reason, we may fall behind, I tend to freak out!

 

[pwarbi]

Well as the song goes, we might not like it but money DOES unfortunately make the world go round. Like others have said, it's usually those that have money and always have and will that will come out with ridiculous statements like 'Money doesn't buy happiness' or 'it's only money' because they have never known what it's like to be without it. The sentiment from them in what they say is true, and they are right, it IS only money, but that money puts a roof over your head and food on the table. It provides you with security and the peace of mind that you are going to be able to live to an old age to see your children and grandchildren grow.


Like it or not, money IS important and even though we might want to be able to coast through life living on friendship and love, friendship and love won't stop you from getting kicked out on the streets and sleeping in the gutter. Only money can stop that from happening.

 

[Ashley0323]

This seems to be a main trigger to my anxiety. I tend to freak out a bit if our balances drop below a certain amount and fear that some huge unexpected bill will come and we wont be able to cover it. This is something I constantly worry about though, hense why we try to stay ahead on bills.

 

[JAW1988]

It's certainly a large cause of anxiety for me. Just this week I went through a bad episode because I had some invoices paid late and spiraled into a depressive state, thinking it was my own fault for not getting better clients. As soon as the invoices were paid those anxieties more-or-less cleared up.

 

[Petesede]

Money is a major cause of stress and anxiety for two different reasons. Obviously the main one is that debt and the consequences of debt can pile up quickly, especially if you have people calling the house. People have this natural inclination, and it is more pronounced in ´american consumerism´ to always spend what you have and to always want to buy the next thing... and to squeeze every ounce of credit that we can in order to buy stuff.


But the other reason this causes stress is that it forces people into jobs they ´need´ instead of jobs they want. The stress that your boss puts on you feels much worse when you know you have no escape, that you need the job and the money. You can put the same person in a job that has financial freedom, and he would probably enjoy a job more than if he was so desperate for the money that he felt trapped... the boss and the job could be exactly the same, but just the trapped feeling would make it feel worse.


I think many people get it wrong. The solution to financial problems is not to earn more, it is to spend less. Find fun things to do that are free and stop window shopping all the time.. don´t get wrapped up in the idea that the next thing you buy will make you happy, learn to be happy with what you have.