David Z asked:




Being stressed over money is a normal thing that almost everyone goes through in their life. Not having enough money to pay for groceries, bills, or to support the family can be devastating to our mental and emotional health and can often lead to depression. As well as affecting yourself, your stress may be contagious, affecting the lives of everyone who you have a mutual caring for. But there are ways to relieve yourself of this stress since it doesn’t help us get were we want to be, it only creates more obstacles and can lead to even more stress.

Breaking out of this vicious circle of money related stress problems can be difficult, but not impossible. It requires a reversal of you mindset and beliefs. Follow the tips given in this article and it may help you overcome the stress you face because of money.

Talk to someone about it. When you dwell on a misfortune alone, you are thinking about all the negative things you have done and “what could have been” if you acted accordingly. Talking and discussing it with others will allow you to focus on your future and what you can do to improve your current situation. Others can think of things you haven’t or have overlooked. They are also a source of hope and inspiration for you when you face tough times.

Plan ahead. Accept that you are in a financial dilemma and think of ways to get out of it. Create a new plan to get out of the predicament. Make sure the steps of the plan are not vague, make them as precise and as distinct as possible so you don’t get sidetracked. Take time to think about any problems the plan may have but don’t dwell on it. Sometimes to get out of these types of problems you need to simply act.

These are two tips to get you started but in the end, if you want to escape your financial difficulties, you have to be determined and patient, it won’t happen overnight.

Kathryn

Andy Britnell asked:




I remember how intrigued I was when years ago, and long before I had heard of time management, I recognised the link between time and money, realising that we say that we ’spend’ or ‘invest’ both time and money, and also talk about ’saving’ time and money.

Moreover we usually find that in order to save time, we have to spend money, and vice versa. For example, to save time cooking, we might buy ready- prepared food. Our decision depends on our circumstances and priorities – someone else might well prefer to save some money and spend more time preparing and cooking a meal.

We make these choices all the time and often have no objective yardstick to show us how effective they are – unless our choices are so extreme that eventually we are totally overloaded with commitments, or on the other hand we run out of money! Constantly trying to keep a balance between spending and saving time and money demands a willingness to keep checking priorities.

This is particularly true of self-employed people starting or growing a business. It can be tempting to try and keep all costs as low as possible and do everything yourself. But this can be counter-productive when you realise just how many activities business start-up and business growth entail.

You need to think carefully about money and time management. If you can pay a specialist to do a job and thus free yourself up to do something else, that may be the better solution. Our investments in both time and money will ultimately pay off in the success of our business and the happiness of our lives. It makes sense to think carefully about the balance.

Derek