5 Ways to Pull Yourself out of a Money Freak-Out

In financially uncertain times, the best thing you can do is maintain your sense of control

Erin Lowry
Forge

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Photo: Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

RRight now, with nowhere else to go, most of us are spending a lot of time in our own heads. When so much is unknown, it’s hard not to dwell on uncertainty: about how social distancing will continue. About our health. About our finances.

The weight of that last one feels a little heavier each day as the financial impact of the pandemic becomes more and more widespread. Many of us are already struggling through lost jobs, lost gigs, pay cuts. Even those who aren’t there yet are still worried. I’m worried.

Here’s the thing, though: Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now, there’s still so much within your control. And when it comes to personal finance, believing you’re in control is half the battle — research has shown that when you feel powerful, you make better choices about your money.

Getting to that feeling isn’t hard, either. It’s a question of reminding yourself what’s already in front of you — all the levers you can pull, right now or whenever you might need to. Here are a few things to keep in mind when money anxiety starts to feel overwhelming.

There’s probably a lot to cut

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Erin Lowry
Forge
Writer for

Writer, speaker, and author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together and Broke Millennial Takes On Investing.