9 Common Signs of Financial Stress
Udumbara
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If you’ve ever lain awake at night with a test chest and pounding heart, you know how real financial stress can be.
Even for those of us with enough money to keep a roof over our head and meals on our plate, there can be genuine worries about job security or large, unexpected expenses that add meaningful stress to our lives.
We call them “money problems,” and they are, but they can quickly turn into “health problems” because the two are so tightly intertwined.
9 Common Signs of Financial Stress
If any of the following signs feel familiar to you, I hope you’ll reach out to someone for help. Your health is a critical part of your happiness, and that’s why it’s worth paying attention to the ways financial stress shows up in your health.1. Disruptions in Sleep Quality
Disrupted sleep can lead to insomnia. Anxious thoughts act like a stimulant, keeping your whole body from relaxing. If you can’t relax, it’s hard to fall asleep and stay asleep, so your body can rest and recover.2. Increased Blood Pressure and Risk of Heart Disease
A 2022 review published in The American Journal of Medicine found that the connection between psychological stress and heart disease appears to be a strong one, and is mediated by a number of pathways, including higher blood pressure.3. Stress-Induced Headaches
When I am hyper-fixated with a concern or consumed with anxious thoughts, one of the first signs of stress is that I get a headache. Tension in my shoulders and neck is probably the culprit, as I keep myself from truly relaxing for hours on end.4. Weight Gain
A common way to deal with stressful situations is to reach for one of the few comforts that are always available: delicious, convenient food. While it does feel good for a few minutes, all you’re doing is pushing your problems down the road a bit and making them worse.5. Weakened Focus and Memory
Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed, you can’t seem to think as clearly or remember things as well as you normally do? Stress floods the brain with chemicals that keep you on high alert to threats, but make it harder to do much else. This is precisely what you don’t want as you try to dig yourself out of a financial hole.6. Strained Relationships
My wife and I have an exceptionally good marriage, and it’s a rare day when we’re unhappy with each other. However, one of the few sources of tension in our marriage is financial. It usually comes down to whether an expense was “necessary” or not, which is, of course, a subjective decision, and one that is exacerbated by financial stress.7. Digestive Issues
When you worry about things like money, you produce more stomach acid, which may contribute to conditions such as ulcers or acid reflux. Research shows a correlation between stress and digestive issues ranging from mild cramping to serious stomach ulcers.8. Increased Risk of Substance Abuse
As the natural human response of reaching for comfort in times of stress can lead to habitual snacking and weight gain, another more serious threat is reaching for substances to calm yourself down or disengage with reality for a while.9. Accelerated Aging and Reduced Life Expectancy
In addition to these downstream impacts of stress, making life more challenging, they may also shorten your life. A 2020 study published in Biomedicines points to a couple of possible mechanisms: increased inflammation and shrinking telomeres —the protective caps at the end of chromosomes.These nine signs might seem like bad news to deliver on top of the financial stress you’re already experiencing—and it would be if there were nothing you could do about it. Thankfully, there are several steps you can take—from putting your financial struggles into perspective, which are not as important as your health—and taking actions to improve your finances, for which there are many great resources online.
Now that you know what’s at stake, I hope you feel empowered to make a positive change in your life and for your long-term health.
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