How to Get Financial Fit
It can be scary to start being more financially responsible, but you are not alone! We all face the anxiety of taking on a task that isn’t super fun, and can cause a lot of stress. Hopefully, with a bit of help from this article, you can start your financial fitness journey with more peace of mind!
Just as proper physical fitness requires strategic planning (in the form of workouts and nutritional plans), proper financial fitness requires a strategic plan as well.
Having a proper financial plan requires balance. Think of your budget as your “weight” your spending as “excess calories” you need to avoid, and saving or investing as “exercising your finances.”
Here are some things to remember when working out your finances:
· Focus on the here and now: Getting out of debt or other tough financial situation can be a long term project and it’s important to take it one step at a time. Spending all your time thinking about the future and what might happen can lead to your stress levels creeping up. Try to stay focused on the present and getting a plan of action together. Understand that everything will eventually work out.
· Stay positive: Think about all the things that you love about your life. Getting out of these situations often means having to do without some of the material things that we often convince ourselves we need. If you evaluate your situation it’s certain that there will be things in your life that are more important than money. Those are the things that are important. Keeping a positive mental attitude will make everything in your life easier to manage. Being positive doesn’t mean painting on a fake smile and struggling on. Really be grateful for the thing you already have and use that positive energy to help convince yourself everything is going to be okay.
· Face your challenges: We all have times when we want to bury our head in the sand. If a problem seems too much to deal with, it’s incredibly tempting to try to put them out of our minds and forget them. Only we never really forget things when we try to put them out of our mind – they just hang over us like a cloud and makes us feel worse. This can be doubly true when the problem relates to money, as feelings of fear and shame make it even harder to hold our hands up and ask for help. Taking that step and getting help will make a huge difference. Facing these issues early before they become problems is key. Address them at the source with a confident attitude and be willing to make the change that is necessary.
· Stick to a budget: Creating a budget and sticking to it will be a practical help with your finances but it will also help you feel better too. Knowing what money you’ve got will help make you feel in control of your finances and lead to more peace of mind.
· Stay Active: Physical exercise releases chemicals in our brain which make us feel happier. The next time you feel that your money worries are getting on top of you it might be a good idea to go for a jog or even a brisk walk.
