As promised, over the next few posts we’re going to discuss a number of specific stresses and a number of ideas for dealing with these specific  issues. Although I was originally intending  four separate posts on eliminating financial stress, I decide to do one larger post today. Enjoy!

Horace’s concept applies especially well to your finances, just as long as you don’t consider “bold and valiant” to mean that it’s okay to be reckless with your money! If you’re suffering stress from financial woes, the best cure is to be bold: take swift, decisive action to get your finances in order, cut expenses, and bring in more money.

Here are some tips for reducing your financial stress:

1. Assess exactly where the cause of the stress lies. Once you know the culprit, you can work to eliminate the cause.

Create a budget. This will let you see how much you’re spending and what you’re spending your money on. List all of your monthly income and expenses, then you can make a plan of action.

Do you overspend on unnecessary items? If so, impose weekly limits that fit into your budget and stick to them.

Do you make enough money to pay for your basic necessities? If not, you either need to cut down on your expenses or make more money. Take action to get yourself out of debt. Don’t wait to win the lottery, it probably won’t happen!

2. If you need more money, consider your options and take action right away. Devise both short term and longer term solutions. Your stress levels will go down as soon as you start focusing on positive actions to bring in some extra cash.

Short term options might include: working overtime hours, getting a second job, having a garage sale, selling unwanted stuff on eBay, doing lawn maintenance for others (this can bring in $300 for one Saturday’s work), waiting tables, and more.

Start your own business selling products or services. This can open up the door to a whole new career for you. Online, the whole world is your marketplace. Established businesses on the web are always in need of people who can do programming, website design, graphic arts, transcription services, content writing, customer service, marketing, and so much more. Offer your services to website owners or use a marketplace like Elance to bid on jobs.

Find a better job. If you need to, further your knowledge and strengthen your skills, then get out there and start interviewing for higher paying jobs. Be bold and valiant! You can’t land a better job if you don’t take action to get one.

Once you decide on the best option for you, the best thing you can do is to take massive action on one strategy to make it happen. Go for it with all the gusto you’ve got rather than divide your energy into many different directions.

Instead of sitting around worrying about your situation, or worse, lying awake nights with insomnia from the financial stress, put that energy into taking action on bringing in more money. Just thinking about it won’t get you anywhere. Take swift action!

3. If you’ve suffered the loss of your job, (as many have) get help. Take advantage of government and other services to help you get through these rough times. A little help can go a long way to providing the much needed funds to reduce your stress.

Apply for unemployment benefits. You can even do this online in many areas. Plus, they can aid you in your search for another job.

See if you qualify for food stamps or monetary aid from your state government. Find out if there are programs that can help you at your local Salvation Army, United Way, or similar organizations.

Many churches get truckloads of groceries and give them away once a month. If you have a local food bank, take advantage of it.

4. Reduce your debt. Put your credit cards away, start a scheduled plan to pay down your debt, and stick to it. If you increase your debt by charging more on your credit cards, it’ll raise your credit card payments and makes your financial situation worse. As the bills rise, so does your stress level.

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Breathe.

No matter what, you gotta breathe! When those stressful moments appear, pause for a moment and breathe slowly and deeply. It relaxes your muscles and delivers fresh oxygen to your brain to counter the fight or flight response to help you think clearly.

Many varied cultures from east to west and disciplines from yoga to the martial arts teach the importance of deep controlled breathing, this technique has truly stood the test of time. Try it the next time you feel stressed – it really helps!

The techniques we been posting assist you in dealing with all kinds of stress, regardless of the underlying cause. In future posts, we’ll examine additional ways to reduce, avoid or redirect stress based on different specific issues.