Money Talks June 2021 | WEARESUMA

How To Manage Anxiety Around Bills

How To Manage Anxiety Around Bills

Todo mundo has their triggers. Could be a light going off on your dashboard in your car (again!), could be an unexpected message from your mom that says “LLÁMAME”. These triggers sprout reactions deep within our minds that create fictional scenarios that 99% of the time are simply unfounded. 

 

“Híjole, this light on the dashboard turned on again. It’s going to ruin my car and it’s going to cost me a fortune to repair and I can’t afford that right now and what’s going to happen if I don’t have car how am I going to get to work and how am I going to pick up my sobrinos from…” the scenario goes on, and on till wherever your imagination will allow yourself to take it.

 

Or what about the out of left field “LLAMAME” text from your mom? Did you do something wrong? Is someone hurt? Is someone in JAIL? Did she finally find your stash of pages featuring models in bikinis that you ripped out of her Vanidades magazine when you were a teenager? Your heart starts racing, you can hear the call already, you take a deep breath to prep yourself mentally for what’s about to come.

 

Your bills can very much incite the same reactions within you. The unknown is scary after all. The key word here is “unknown”. If you don’t know the charges you’re going to experience when it’s time to pay your bills at the end of every month, then you could be driven into a state of constant anxiety– bills are aguafiestas, for sure. So how do you get over this? 

 

Let’s take a look back at the scenarios and how they relate to the unknown. In the case of the dashboard light in your carcacha, you become anxious because you don’t know what the light means. If it were as simple as taking it to the mechanic and having a quick, cheap diagnostic, then maybe the anxiety wouldn’t be as striking. Or maybe there’s an easily fixable electric issue in your little carcacha, and that light on the dashboard turns on because when you go over 55mph. Just knowing the why helps a ton.

 

In the case of the all CAPS case message from your mom– you’ve been here before. You know she just types like that sometimes by accident because she hasn’t quite figured out her new phone. And that if your má were to ever be in an emergency, she would be clear with you in the message. The LLÁMAME simply means llámame 🙂 Now if you were to get that from your best friend, however… that’s another story.

 

Bills work the same way. To avoid anxiety, you have to be prepared for what’s to come. Take a good hard look at all your necessary expenses: housing, food, water, gas, electric, cell phone, subscriptions, loans. Once you identify the average amount you pay, plan your finances around that. So when you get those charges, you won’t find yourself in a situation where you were unprepared to face them. 

 

Now you’ll be able to look at the beast in the eye and tell it you’re no longer afraid because you know what form it takes.

 

Sources

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/cope-financial-anxiety

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/how-do-i-stop-stressing-about-money/

https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/money-management/tips-to-overcome-financial-anxiety/

 

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