Financial stress is making us ill. Here’s how to cope

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A mass survey investigating the link between our finances and our health revealed that money worries weren’t just causing participants’ mental well-being to decline, but their physical health, with participants reporting back pain and stomachaches so painful they couldn’t work.

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“There’s a clear relationship between mental health and stress and how we feel in our bodies,” Angela Fontes, vice president of policy and research at Financial Health Network, tells Fortune. We can partly thank the gut-brain connection for that. Stress and anxiety can manifest physically as nausea, shortness of breath, or stomach pain, to name a few symptoms.?

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What’s more: The health-money relationship is a vicious cycle. Poor mental well-being can negatively impact our finances in various ways—compulsive spending as a coping mechanism; difficulty paying bills while carrying a heavy mental load; and missing work or not performing well, which Fontes says can impact wages and long-term job success.

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Here’s how to make sure your physical, mental, and financial well-being are all on the same page.?

Take a break to reset your mind

Seeing a financial therapist to discuss spending patterns can help you navigate your emotions so they don’t take a toll on your mental and physical health, says Khara Croswaite Brindle, a licensed financial therapist in Colorado. Fontes says that many participants in the study coped by taking time to exercise or meditate .

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“A lot of this is about control,” Fontes says, explaining that big triggers for this cycle are unexpected expenses like debt accumulation. “Doing something that helps restore that sense of control really seems to be a critical first step.”

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Take baby steps toward saving

Even if your finances aren’t in poor shape, you should still take preventative measures.

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That might look like sitting down and reviewing your money once a week or examining your savings and investment accounts, Fontes says.

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A savings cushion can help during low points—like having the house cleaned so you can feel better in your environment, or ordering food when you don’t have the energy to cook, Croswaite Brindle says. It gives you the permission and means to access what you need or take time off without your household taking a financial hit, she adds.?

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“Savings isn’t always about the long game anymore, but about how do we live a comfortable life now while thinking about the future?” Croswaite Brindle says.?

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Read the full story by Hillary Hoffower here .

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