No matter how old you are or whether you’re a student, employee, or anything in between, we all have to think about money. Often when we think of stress and mental health, we think of relationships, illness, family, and friends.
We forget that money can also be a big stressor in our lives that profoundly impacts our mental and physical health. As young people, it can be hard to foresee future expenses, or really grasp how much money we can spend on certain things. There are a couple things we can do to help alleviate the stress and uncertainty that come with this.
First of all, remember that your money doesn’t define you. It can feel pretty bad when your friends are wearing more expensive clothes, or going to expensive places that you just can’t afford. Or maybe you feel bad because you can afford certain things and your friends can’t.
Your money doesn’t define you.
Regardless of the situation, money is a touchy subject and people often feel bad about the amount of money they have compared to others. At these times, it’s really important to remember that how much money you have doesn’t mean anything about who you are, your values, nor should it affect how your treat others or how you are treated. Everyone deserves respect.
Secondly, there are lots of fun things you can do without much money. That can be really important to remember when you’re busy with things like school. I know that I’ve often felt pressured to pick up more shifts at work so I have a bit more money to spend on fun things. However, that can be a harmful thing to do. You can overwork yourself, you can lack enough time to spend on school, relationships, and other commitments.
Sometimes it’s better to just be a bit more frugal for a while.
Finally, creating a plan for your spending not only saves you money, but helps you spend it better too. It’s difficult to keep track of how much money you’ve spent recently and how much you can afford to. It helps to write out how much you’re spending on certain things, how much you can spend, and how you want to break up your money into different spending categories. It helps not only with knowing how much you can spend, but it also reduces stress when buying things. Instead of worrying about whether you can afford the new shirt you just bought, you’ll know it’s fine because you budgeted for it!
Creating a plan or budget for your spending not only saves you money, but helps you spend it better too.
Hopefully these tips help save you some stress and worry about money. It’s a tough thing to think about, and a lot of us would rather just forget that it’s even an issue. However, keeping an eye on it, along with a healthy mindset about money, can save you a lot of hardship.
If you ever need support about financial issues or anything else in life, don’t hesitate to contact ConnecTeen.
