If you’re a twenty-something person trying to navigate through life, I’m sure you’ve already met the gang - social anxiety, acute stress, and overthinking.
If you’ve somehow managed to get past them, here I am. While there’s no age at which I begin, rest assured that your age group - struggling millennials and lost Gen Zs - are my most frequent targets.
If you aren’t too sure about me up close and personal, ask yourself this - have you recently felt short of breath, muddled in thought, and panicked, all because of your finances?
If yes, there’s a possibility we’ve met.
You see, while worry, stress, and panic are normal in one-off financial situations, feeling overwhelmed by your finances all the time isn’t. If your financial stress has taken over your regular life, making you feel worried about your money every minute of every day, then you know me already.
Now I get it, many of you like to avoid looking at your finances but I only stomp in once your avoidance becomes a full-fledged coping mechanism. I’m that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know you have problems with money but still go ahead living life like you have it all together.
Heard of “ignorance is bliss”? If you don’t check your account and you don’t track your expenses, you know you might be messing up. It’s all always in the corner of your head. If you’ve been doing this for a while now, I’m probably crashing on your couch and eating your groceries, friend.
Funny right? Why would someone who has trouble with money spend like they own the Trump Towers? That would be hilarious… if it weren’t painfully real. Another sign of financial anxiety is being in no control of your splurges. In fact, these give you momentary relief because you think “oh well, look at these things I have. They hold as much value as the money I spent.”
Honestly, there’s no middle ground here. On the one hand, you spend without any control, on the other, you feel terrible about doing so. You probably want to check your financial anxiety status if you’ve felt jittery, breathless, extremely worried, and clouded as you spend or right after it.
If these weren’t bad enough, I’m known to cause depression, paranoia, obsessions, and more. Additionally, I only became a guest to more people once the pandemic began. According to a KFF report, 35.8% of people have experienced anxiety symptoms since COVID. Stress about job loss, less income, and shifting to remote work have been strong reasons for this.
Now I know I sound like a terrible villain. I know none of you want to have me around and to be frank, I’m tired of seeing you guys make terrible decisions. I want to leave, but unfortunately, that depends on you.
If you want me to go with the same passion I want to leave, here are some things you might want to try -
You and I both know that life isn’t a bed of roses all the time, so it’s normal if I happen to see you now and then. You being alright with having me around very often isn't okay. I don’t care if it sounds cheesy - but your finances can be in your control. If you have been feeling financially anxious off late, know that it can change. But only with your first step.
Remember, comparing yourselves to rich influencers on Instagram or to a colleague who seems to hold it better is not going to do anything. Start small and start today. If not for your sake, then mine.
Not your friend,
Financial Anxiety
