Stress and Money
Who hasn’t stressed over money? Some will reply “those with a lot of it”. That’s an easy
conclusion to draw when you are wondering how to make mortgage payment. But the fact is that many people with large amounts often worry about it more.
The bottom line is that money issues are often stressful for just about everyone. But this is not inevitable. Many people, perhaps more in the past than the present, led very happy lives with almost next to nothing in the bank. And even most of the very poor today in the U.S. live infinitely better than kings of 300 years ago.
Stress over money issues is no more inevitable than is stress over any other fact. Being concerned and being stressed are not the same thing. Stress results when a person believes there is no way out of dilemma they simply “must” solve. But neither side of that dilemma is cast in stone.
Those general comments apply to stress over money as much or more than any other issue. Millions get into situations of excessive debt every year. Credit cards and other temptations of “easy money” are ubiquitous in today’s society. But millions get out of debt too.
Family arguments over money are one of the most common causes of stress. When two people disagree over how to spend limited funds, conflict is inevitable. But, that conflict need not lead to stress. Realism, long-term planning, a willingness to compromise and respects for another’s point of view can go a long way toward minimizing stress.
