Financial Stress Making You Sick?

Get Rich Slowly has an article about how financial problems can cause physical illness. It reminded me how far I have come in the last 12 years.

In 1996 I married a man that could not save a penny if his life depended on it. He maxed out every credit card he could get and bought a car every year until our credit was so bad we could not get a loan.

I worked 3 jobs to try to make enough money to pay the bills. He on the other hand had problems keeping a job.

I became so stressed out about all aspects of my life that I would have migraines so bad that I could not get out of bed for three days. My hands and arms would swell from the tension in my shoulders and neck that I could not make a fist and could barley bend my arms. After many test, my doctor could not give me an answer and just said that I had Rheumatoid Arthritis. I would have such severe panic attacks that I would almost pass out.

After my divorce all my physical problems went away. I had a migraine a couple of months ago, but only a mild one and I have not had issues with my hands or arms. Not because I have not had any stress in my life, but because I found better ways to deal with stress.

The biggest thing that I did to reduce my stress was to make a plan to reduce or get rid of my debt. I read as many books as I could get my hands on and did all the exercises to figure out the best strategy for me to reduce my debt.

I found that exercise, meditation, sitting outside and watching nature, and reading are the best stress reducer for me. I love to take walks at a nearby park. My new house has a great screened in back patio that I can sit and read or just chill out and relax. I don't mind working in the yard at the new house because it is out in the country and it is so nice. Well, until I find a copperhead snake. I use to buy the cheep flowers at the grocery store to give myself something nice. They would make my house smell so good. I also take the dogs for a walk or play with them in the back yard.

All of these things are free, but the flowers. I go to the gym at work which is free. Walking in the local park, free. Going to the local library and checking out books, free. Playing with the dogs that we rescued, free. Meditating, free. Buying flowers at the grocery store, Priceless. Just kidding, cost is only $3.00 max.

I know that when I paid off my debt, was able to put money in savings and stopped receiving phone calls from debt collectors, my life became so much better. I enjoy life.

Yes, the stress level has increased in the last six months for me, but I have developed ways to deal with that stress so that I am not making myself physically ill. I have increase my debt because we bought a new home and still paying for the old one until it is sold. But we have a plan to reduce our debt and increase our income. I also have this blog and Margaret living next door to keep me on track.

Make a plan to reduce your debt and find what works best for you to reduce your stress level. You will be amazed how much you enjoy life after that.