(Long Island, N.Y.) Oh dear. I just got my first Christmas catalog in the mail and immediately began to stress out. Here it comes…the most wonderful time of the year and the most expensive!
I asked Long Island-based clinical psychologist Dr. Deborah Serani to shed some light on how not to lose your footing when it comes to finances. A little pre-holiday prep work–for your wallet.
“Simply stated, make saving money easier,” says Serani. “Money offers great security, but only if you have it. So the focus should be on saving, not spending.”
She offers these sanity-saving tips:
1. Limit Temptation
Though technology is a great thing, it makes spending money easy and fast. Consider retiring your credit cards save for one in your wallet. Cash is a great way of keeping yourself on-budget and limiting your spending. Using cash eliminates the surprise of a bill that comes later in the mail, so your stress level is unlikely to surge.
On the computer, delete your “favorited” or bookmarked shopping or financial sites – and make sure to “clear” your cache, credit card numbers and account numbers that may already be saved on websites.
Leave yourself a post-it note on your computer reminding you not to spend. On mine I wrote, “It’s not about what I want or need, It’s about what I already have.”
Consider getting a cell phone plan that rolls minutes from month to month, or has a prepaid plan. Again, minimizing the unforeseen bill at the end of the month will reduce anxiety and stress about money.
Other simple, yet effective things to help with money are these: Brown bag lunch. Keep your car in peak performance shape. Throw out all the “Gadget” and “Cool Stuff” catalogues that come to your home or office as soon as you get them out of the mailbox. Same goes for new credit card applications. All that wooing has to stop!
2. Adjust Your Style
Working in the financial world can bankrupt your own emotional bank account. So consider revamping your work schedule. Tend to “must do” tasks, not “should do” ones. And more importantly, don’t do too much overtime in the office. Focus on refueling your mind, body and soul outside of work in this stressful time.
Check your brain at the door, so to speak. Remember to exercise, eat healthy, involve yourself in social activities and get down time in the bedroom. Sex is a healthy stress reliever. If you find yourself tired and exhausted, give yourself the rest you need. Listen to your body. Listen to your mind. Give yourself what you need.
3. Get Zen About It
The happiest people are often those who balance a certain simplicity in their life Too much of anything overwhelms our senses. Consider these two things to simplify your life.
1. Identify what it important to you.
2. Eliminate everything else.
