Stressful situations like your finances can have a surprising impact on your physical and mental health. You can have difficulty sleeping, feel angry, experience mood swings and tiredness, and even experience muscle pain, a loss of appetite, and a reduced sex drive.
If you’re currently experiencing health complications resulting from financial stress, seeing financial advisers, exercising, and eating well, are just a few of the many possible solutions we’ll cover below.
Seek Financial Assistance
It makes sense to tackle the cause of your stress to mitigate your health-related problems surrounding it. A financial advisor can offer cash management and debt advice so that you can plan for a future without bad debt in it.
When you seek help from a financial advisor, do your research to understand your financial woes properly. This can involve knowing what you’re spending your money on, how much interest you’re paying, and when you’d like to pay off your debts.
Getting out of debt is a slower process than getting into it, but you may find yourself with far fewer stress-related health complications if you have a plan of attack.
Improve Your Sleep Hygiene
If fatigue and difficulty sleeping are taking their toll, work on your sleep hygiene. Make sure you’ve got your bedroom set up as a premium sleep environment so that you stand a better chance of dozing off.
This might mean you stop drinking caffeine in the afternoon, remove technology from the bedroom, invest in black-out curtains, and go to bed at the same time each night. Sometimes, having a notebook beside the bed when thoughts prevent you from sleeping can also be ideal. You can then ‘empty’ your head and possibly have a much easier time falling asleep.
Exercise
Financial advisors can be your go-to for financial advice, but some self-care can be necessary to manage the physical signs of finance-related stress. As much as you may not feel like exercising, it may benefit your physical and mental health.
According to studies, exercise can promote better sleep, combat health conditions, improve mood, boost energy levels, and control weight.
Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet
One of the most common symptoms of stress is appetite loss. You may also not feel like cooking, so when you do feel hungry, it can sometimes be easier to pick up takeaways.
A healthy, balanced diet can be a much better option. What’s more, there are plenty of foods that can help you combat stress by lowering your cortisol, such as broccoli, avocados, bananas, and dark chocolate. If you’re struggling to remember to eat, set a timer on your phone to remind you to eat regularly and healthily.
Speak to a Mental Health Professional
Sometimes, a poor financial situation is just the tip of the iceberg. Even if you’re already seeking money advice from a financial advisor, consider requesting mental health services if you believe you need them.
While some of the best counsellors and therapists cost money, you may be able to access free sessions through your doctor. There’s no harm in asking to find out.
Be Honest With Your Loved Ones
Lies can eat away at you, causing a significant amount of stress that impacts your physical and mental health. Even if you’re embarrassed about your debt levels and income, be honest with those who would be or are affected by your situation.
The more honest and upfront you are with friends and family, the more support you can receive to help you through this challenging period.
The health impacts of financial stress aren’t all that well-known, but they can significantly impact your life. Take the time to determine how you can solve your financial problem so that you can reduce your stress and mitigate the physical and mental health implications.