The Stress of Money Management

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Continued from Page 1 - The Stress of Money Management

TARP Method Continued.

Analyze Your Stress of Money Management

The A in the TARP method stands for Analyze - or look for the sources or causes of your stress. The only way to find the sources of your stress to do with money is to determine where you are now, and become aware of what aspects of it stress you out. The best way to this is to get clear on what your money situation is and be aware or even document which parts cause you stress. It could be the debt you have or maybe it is the uncertainty of the future. Either way the access to determining what part of your finances causes stress is to first determine where you are with your money and look at how you react to each area of your money.

To relieve your stress with money management, you need to analyze where you are now with your money. We deal with that in Step 3 of the Overall Game Plan - Where are you now?. In this part of the plan, you will determine where you are right now. You will look at why it is important to know where you are with your finances, and give you a starting point.

When you start to look at your money, and where you are now, you will start to get a sense of what is real about your money. It creates an awareness that will actually start to relieve the stress. You may find that you owe less money than you thought you did, or have more in assets than you thought you did. Or you may just feel better knowing exactly where you are instead of guessing and feeling overwhelmed by it.

You will also look at How you got to where you are with your money, and the money messages that dictate to you how you are going to be with your money.

Respond to the Causes of the Stress of Money Management

The R in the TARP method stands for Respond - or deal with your causes of stress and it's effects. Once you have determined where you are with your money or your starting point (or scoreboard), you can create a plan to deal with that stress. Not only do you want to create a plan that deals with your stress, you want to create a plan that will work for you and that you will follow. There is no point in creating a plan that will stress you out even more!

We will suggest different ways to manage your money that you can use to create your plan and that you can choose if they will work for you.

In Step 4 (Dream your Future) and 5 (Plan your future) of your Overall Plan we show you how to determine what you want your future to look like and how to create a plan to reach that future. This takes a lot of your stress away as you will have power over your money. You will now decide how things will go, instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop. This will decrease your stress dramatically.

Just by taking actions each day towards your plan will decrease your stress each day. It's amazing how just being in action (even if it is just a small amount) will cause such a large result, especially when dealing with your stress.

Prevent the Stress of Money Management

The P is the TARP method stands for Prevent the stress - develop good stress reduction habits. You can prevent the stress of money management by creating ways to reduce your stress. That includes creating your money management plan, and sticking to it. Even making it fun!

You may choose to work ways to identify your stress indicators into your plan. Maybe it is a journal or a card that you write out and carry in your wallet. When you start to see the indicators or feel them within yourself, you become aware and can take steps to reduce the stress or stop it from starting in the first place. This will help prevent stress in the future as you become more and more aware of what your stress indicators are.

Also by committing to your plan, and making daily choices and actions that are consistent with your plan, you will be amazed at how your stress levels will reduce. You will start to celebrate your wins more, and be aware of how far you have come.

Just imagine how stress free life would be if you weren't worrying about your debt, or your future, or whatever it is about your money that causes you to be stressed out!

By taking these steps and following the the Transform Your Money Overall Game Plan your life will be easier than you ever imagined it could be. And who knows, you may also sleep better and improve your health in the process!

Most people feel the stress of money management because they feel powerless. Create a money management plan to help you to gain your power back and have freedom with your money!

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