Thoughts On Finance

Everyone is thinking and talking about finances lately and the stress of it all is really getting to some people. Maybe you think that it isn’t effecting you, but I would tell you that it is probably effecting you more than you think. Take this scenario:

You hop online to check your bank account, just like you do on a regular basis, but the screen says sorry we are experiencing technical difficulties, and you can’t check to see if your direct deposit is in your account. So you try this over and over again, but still it doesn’t work. Still trying to find out if your deposit has come in, you now try to call the bank’s 1-800 number, and when you call you receive a recording that says “sorry this service is not available at this time”. So you shoot up to the local ATM machine to check your balance, and it is Temporarily Out of Service. Now let me ask you a question, do you think “wow, there computers must be on the fritz” or do you think to yourself “I wonder if my bank went out of business”? Well, I have encountered computer glitches on several occasions, but when this scenario happened to me last week, I started to think that maybe my bank had gone under and my money was gone. Unfortunately, with all the hype and focus on the state of the economy, you can’t help but keep these worries in the back of your mind. Even when you think that they aren’t seeping in, they probably are. One way to keep things in check is to read your news instead of getting it over the airwaves. Although, they can still put a spin on it, it is a little less traumatizing to read it in print then to listen to it. Then if you read something and you are unclear about what was said you can go back and reread it. When you hear it, it is in a fleeting moment and then it is gone, sometimes leaving you unsure as to what you just heard. Also, tone and inflection can play a big role in how you interpret what is being said, and in the paper they are less likely to influence you in this way.

Don’t feel alone, we are all feeling the heat. Try to do things to keep yourself calm and realize that either way we will make it through this difficult time, as have many who have come before us, we will persevere.