Does Your Debt Cause Anxiety?

Easier said than done? Yep, most of this stuff is!
But it is certainly something worth striving for, something to look at and take a step in the right direction. We have created a culture of consumerism, high debt and living above our means… but, that means we can “uncreate” it too!

In writing the book, Anxiety Warrior, Elke Scholz understood how finances cause anxiety to so many people. She invited Ryan Brown and Julie Bissonette to shed a little light on the subject. I met with Ryan and this is what he shared:

I help people get out of debt. One problem in our industry is people don’t know
where to turn for help. There’s a lot of marketing out there—so you have to be careful. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of transparency as to who is working for who and how everyone is getting paid. We have our clients’ best interest in mind when considering
future goals. So get help… but do your research first! When people finally make the call, sometimes after years, they sit down and unload!

What can financial anxiety cause? Destruction of marriages/relationships, serious health challenges, failed businesses… Ryan has seen it all.

We can do better. We can create a culture of change, starting right in our world, in our house. Watch the documentary Happy…the most content and joyful people in the world are those who live in community, often have few belongings and their happiness has very little to do with the pursuit of money or how much is actually in their account.

A few tips from the chapter Financial Anxiety in the book Anxiety Warrior:

• Be honest with yourself about the cause of your debt (forgive yourself too!)
• Don’t be afraid of dealing with debt (one small step at a time)
• Understand your options (ask around)
• Avoid day-to-day temptation (the drive through coffee shop!)
• Be wary of easy solutions (it takes years to get in debt, it will take time to get out)
• Take charge of your  cards (credit cards make spending too easy)
• Love what you have (stop comparing to others)

Is the pursuit of money causing me anxiety or happiness…
Something to think about!