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How To Cope If The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Stretched Your Finances To The Limit

(Forbes) – Americans say they’re saving money. Retail spending is up. Low interest rates have sparked the housing market and the stock market has rebounded from its initial pandemic dive.

But how does any of this make sense when so many people are struggling financially months into the Covid-19 crisis and the recession that came with it? The unemployment rate is high, unemployment assistance is about to expire again in some states, overall consumer spending is down and mortgage delinquencies are on the rise.

The reason is what’s expected to be a K-shaped economic recovery, which disproportionately impacts different segments of the economy. Even now, more than six months into the pandemic, some households’ finances are largely untouched, while others are looking at a long and arduous recovery.

For many, weathering what has become a longer-term financial storm will require more than just an emergency fund. An individual’s financial issues are so closely tied to the state of their mental health, and the ongoing stresses of the coronavirus pandemic are well documented.

While you cannot predict how—or when—the American economy will recover from this period, you can take some time to reframe how you think about your finances on an emotional level.

Here’s what you need to know about protecting your finances and your mental well-being during these uncertain times.

What Is a K-Shaped Recovery?

An economic downturn and its eventual recovery can take many shapes. You may have heard of a V-shaped or U-shaped recovery. But one thing these often-referenced shapes have in common is that widespread financial challenges usually are met with widespread recovery, albeit by various degrees for individuals.

A K-shaped recovery, however, sees two groups diverging from an economic turning point, instead of tracking a single curve of decline and recovery. More affluent individuals see their situation as stable or improving during a downturn—they’re the upper portion of the K—while others experience devastating losses.

There are signs that this is happening now during the Covid-19 crisis.

People earning between $25,000 and $35,000 were nearly three and a half times more likely to report having a “very difficult” time paying for usual household expenses than those earning between $100,000 and $150,000 per year, according to a late-August survey by the Census Bureau.

Take the hospitality and leisure sectors for example, explains Brian Kench, dean of the Pompea College of Business at the University of New Haven. “Only about half of lost jobs have come back,” in those sectors, he says, due to continuing virus concerns.

Benefits designed to stabilize people who haven’t been able to return to work or find new employment—if they have been able to access those funds—are likely to run out. The grim employment outlook plus strained finances compounds the recovery process for these individuals.

“The lower part of the K feels like it’s sliding even deeper,” Kench says.

If you have large swaths of people who can’t earn money to pay their bills and make purchases, it’s going to take longer for the economy as a whole to show vast improvements, even if there are a lot of people who are doing relatively well.

And for many people, the impact of that slower recovery track can have long-term effects on their ability to earn and amass wealth.

A recent survey found that households of color face a more challenging financial landscape than their white counterparts, often with less access to aid programs like the Economic Impact Payments, popularly known as the stimulus checks, authorized by the CARES Act.

Households of color were still trying to regain ground from the last financial crisis before the coronavirus pandemic came along. Income for Black households didn’t surpass 2007 levels until 2019, according to new Census Bureau data on income and poverty.

“But that’s already old news,” said Valerie Wilson, director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, during a presentation this week. “The impact of the pandemic and the recession has had a disproportionate impact on Black workers and their families,” Wilson explained.

Impact of Uneven Recovery Felt on Individual Scale

Recognizing a K-shaped recovery can help acknowledge that not every part of the economy recovers at the same pace. Much of the process is ultimately felt at a personal level.

“A lot of industries are going to be hard hit for an extended period of time,” says Leigh Phillips, CEO of financial technology nonprofit SaverLife. “Schools aren’t back, childcare is not back and that obviously impacts a lot of families.”

Almost 90% of users of SaverLife’s financial education platform—who tend to earn about $25,000 per year—have reported a loss of income due to the pandemic.

“But that loss of income has been paired with simultaneous increased spending,” Phillips says. Households who weren’t already set up for remote work or online learning had to figure out how to cover the costs of internet access or devices, she explains.

And families who may have had their grocery costs supplemented by school meal programs may suddenly have been faced with the need to provide three meals a day at home, during a time when food costs increased, Phillips says. “Even for people who receive supplements from the government to pay for food, we’re still seeing much higher spending in that category,” she says.

SaverLife has been encouraging members to claim their stimulus checks or unemployment benefits if they haven’t already, along with pointing them to food assistance programs in their areas. The organization also partners with financial coaching programs around the country to help users work with their creditors.

But taking those first steps to access help can be challenging, especially since some of the initial shock of the pandemic’s economic impact has dulled.

“People don’t necessarily want to confront some of these issues right now,” Phillips says. “They’re frightening. But the more that you can [do to] get all the assistance you can, the better off your family’s going to be.”

How to Cope With Longer Periods of Financial Strain

With the U.S. pandemic response in its seventh month, you may have already exhausted your initial sources of financial security, whether in the form of an emergency fund or government aid. But before you strategize a long-term budget to weather this period, it’s helpful to recognize your emotional state.

In the first few weeks of the pandemic, you may have felt a fight-or-flight response to adapt to the immediate changes. But that response may no longer be enough to support you through this next phase, warns Dr. Alex Melkumian, a Los Angeles-based psychologist and the founder of the Financial Psychology Center.

Some people have fewer coping mechanisms to maintain that “fight” response for a long period, or never had the resources to be in the position to fight in the first place, Melkumian says. He uses the example of someone who loses their job suddenly and needs to apply for unemployment. “For some people, that’s a devastating place to get to in their career.”

Add that grief onto the difficulties of navigating state unemployment insurance systems and the health concerns brought on by the pandemic, and the stress you feel can start to stack up—which can do long-term damage to your relationship with money.

“Money can be a conduit for anything we’re emotionally filled with,” Melkumian explains. “If we’re full of fear and anxiety, it’s going to [show] in our behavior and our decision-making with money.”

Melkumian says that beneath patients’ frustration with their financial situation are often feelings of shame and guilt. And, to persevere over the long term, you need to address that emotional side of dealing with money. “When we fight our emotional nature, we do ourselves a disservice. The longer we ignore, the longer recovery will take.”

Acknowledge Feelings of Shame and Guilt (But Don’t Dwell)

Whether you were struggling before the pandemic or your financial challenges are more recent, recognize that a lot of people are in a tough position. This is not the time to feel guilty because you weren’t better prepared.

“During this crisis, priorities may need to be made that focus on the present, and that is okay,” says Sarah Parker, senior director at the Financial Health Network. “Emergency funds may need to be tapped, and that is okay because it’s exactly what they’re there for.”

If your funds are coming up short for basic needs, don’t wait to ask for help. “Don’t be so ashamed and guilty that it prevents you from reaching out for help,” Melkumian says. Many financial institutions are still working with customers to offer forbearance programs, and you may be eligible for aid beyond the channels you’ve already pursued.

“Understand you need to give yourself the room to process, to get through the emotional stuff,” Melkumian says, but don’t let it pull you into a spiral of shame that’s harder to get out of later.

Take Small Steps Toward Recovery

Don’t worry about making the perfect budget right now. But do your best to plot out your obligations, resources and any accommodations you’ve requested.

“Our research shows that planning behavior is highly correlated with improved financial health,” Parker says. “People often don’t plan because they feel overwhelmed by it, especially those with strapped budgets already. But starting somewhere with a small degree of planning for the rest of the year into the next will help.”

Thinking about your goals—even if it’s just covering the basics—can help you start to see incremental progress, Parker says.

For a boost, try using free budgeting apps that can help you track your spending and help you plan ahead. “There are many apps that analyze spending patterns and cash flow to help consumers determine what their disposable income is without jeopardizing their financial obligations when those bills roll around,” she says.

Check In With Yourself

Melkumian recommends taking a few moments to do a daily emotional self-check to catch brewing financial fears before they grow larger than life.

Since you can’t predict how long the widespread economic recovery will take, you can’t let yourself get overwhelmed with daily what-if scenarios, he warns. “Everyone wants their financial world to improve immediately,” Melkumian says, but that hope can manifest irrational expectations.

It’s important to develop a mindset that can see how small improvements in your finances that may seem insignificant now can have a bigger impact a few years from now. Doing so can take time, so be patient with yourself as you continue to check on your emotional state and financially recover.

 

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Working Through the Big Emotions of Financial Upheaval

(RallyHealth) – If your finances make you anxious, you’re not alone. Before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19, 60% of Americans were stressed out by money, according to the American Psychological Association. None of us are untouched by uncertainty about what lies ahead, and that can cause unexpected emotions.

“Entering into this crisis, most of us already had anxiety and stress around money,” says Brad Klontz, PsyD, CFP, a financial psychologist and managing principal at Your Mental Wealth Advisors and associate professor at Creighton University. “Then you throw the virus on top of it. You’re worried about your financial situation, and you’re also worried about people you love getting sick.”

It’s normal to need time to come to terms with layoffs, business closures, investment losses, or other financial upheaval due to COVID-19. And it’s OK to be upset about the situation, says Patricia Tidwell, PhD, a licensed clinical social worker. “It’s incredibly stressful,” she says. “I’d be worried about people if they weren’t upset.”

But there are many ways to move through the financial stress, anger, and sadness to a place of action. By recognizing your emotions, you can use them to drive your effort to take as much control of your financial situation as possible. Financial and mental health experts share insights on how to get started.

Identify Your Emotions

“We all have feelings and beliefs about money: earning money, having money, losing money,” says Tidwell. “Anger, grief, anxiety, and sadness are all feelings that are healthy, albeit uncomfortable, to have about what is happening now.”

Alex Melkumian, PsyD, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of the Financial Psychology Center, adds fear, worry, and avoidance to the list. He says that financial stress from the pandemic can force people into survival mode. “Being in survival mode activates the fight, flight, or freeze response,” he says. “Considering the sudden onset of the pandemic, many people are in the freeze cycle. They feel paralyzed or are overthinking what to do next.”

The first step to working through these emotions is recognizing them and understanding that they are normal, Tidwell says. By taking a moment to identify what you’re feeling, you’ll be able to more easily find ways to work toward solutions.

“The sooner you can get to acceptance, as difficult as it may seem, everything else will be easier,” says Melkumian. “It’s a mental pivot that will disengage the emotional part of your brain, which is not helpful in moments like these.”

Recognize What’s Out of Your Control

Unlike other, more personal financial upheavals, remember that many of the economic forces of COVID-19 are completely out of your control. Your state or local government may have told you that you can’t go to work or need to work altered hours. And it’s necessary for people to stay away from businesses in order to stop the spread of the virus. If these circumstances have altered your financial situation, it’s important to recognize that it’s not your fault, says Klontz.

“The good news is you don’t need to feel ashamed about it,” he says. “You’re also not alone.”

By recognizing this, you can avoid “personalizing the pandemic,” says Melkumian. Keeping an eye on the big picture can protect you from some of the negative emotions that are often associated with financial trouble, such as shame and guilt.

Find Healthy Ways to Manage Money

Once you’ve identified your emotions, it’s important to find mindful ways to manage them, says Tidwell. She suggests a physical exercise for a serotonin boost and meditation for reducing anxiety.

“Putting feelings into words also helps reduce the experience of feeling overwhelmed,” she says. “Talking to others helps you feel less alone. It can be helpful to learn that others are in similar situations with similar feelings.” Consider talking to a therapist or other mental health professional for more personalized methods for handling your emotions, she says. If you’re employed, check if your company offers free counseling through your health benefits or an employee assistance program.

If you still feel paralyzed by fear and anxiety, Klontz suggests confronting it head-on by thinking through any worst-case scenarios. What if you lose your job? Maybe that means you wouldn’t be able to pay your mortgage, and would eventually have to move in with your parents. Though it’s difficult to think about, letting this hypothetical play out can actually calm your body’s “life or death” reaction, by demonstrating that even in the very worst-case scenario, you will likely still be physically safe, Klontz says.

Fight Regret with Action

With so much uncertainty ahead, it can be easy to fall into regret about the past. Why didn’t you start that emergency fund earlier? Why did you take that vacation last year, when you could have saved that money? While it’s natural to wonder about the what-ifs, it’s important to remember that dwelling on the past will do nothing to improve your current situation, says Tidwell.

“Regret is about mourning a lost opportunity, and is often filled with shame,” she says. “It can take over, making it harder to do what will help now.”

Instead of letting your regret balloon into shame, which can keep you stuck, use any missed opportunities as lessons for the future, helping you chart a path forward, Klontz says.

“Did you have an emergency fund?” he asks. “Probably not. That makes you the average American. But now you see why you need one. This is a perfect opportunity for you to look at your spending habits.”

Take Control of What You Can

Being stuck at home may actually give you the time to start sorting out your finances in a way you haven’t been able to before. Maybe you can create a pandemic-specific budget, or place some monthly subscriptions on pause and use those savings to start a rainy day fund. This type of action might be exactly what you need to ease your financial worries, says Tidwell. “Taking stock and making plans can reduce anxiety and help you feel more in control,” she says.

“Become conscious of your spending, looking for ways to minimize expenses that are unnecessary,” Klontz suggests. “Interest rates are really low, so maybe now is the time to refinance your mortgage. There are opportunities right now for people.”

He also suggests researching some of the federal relief programs to see what type of assistance you may qualify for, especially if you’re a small business owner. And to keep yourself motivated, remember that, eventually, the COVID-19 pandemic will be in the past.

“Picture yourself when this is all over,” Klontz says. “How do you wish you would have gone through it, including your mindset, attitude, and behavior? Try to be that person now, because eventually this will be over.”

Note to our readers: This information is being made available as a free resource to the public. It is not an endorsement of any of the Finance-Related Resources listed in this article — financial consultants, planners, services, organizations/associations, websites, tools, lenders, credit unions, or banks. None of the finance-related resources listed have solicited Rally Health to be included, and Rally Health receives no compensation from the Finance-Related Resources mentioned in this article.

KATE ROCKWOOD

Rally Health

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Fight. Flight. Freeze. How are you Responding to the Coronavirus?

Quick Check-In on how your brain is processing the COVID-19 Pandemic

If you are like most Americans, you were already experiencing chronic stress around your finances according to the Stress in America survey done by the American Psychological Association. The current state of emergency due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has affected a tremendous amount of people raising the overall stress levels to unprecedented proportions.

Not all stress is bad. In simple terms it can be viewed as our response to a threat. It urges us to move away from danger and stay safe. However, our brains are interpretation machines and how they perceive the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic to our health and our financial stability will determine the level of our stress response.

A stress response is both psychological and physiological, it affects both our mind and body. Chronic and acute stress triggers our survival mode which activates the fight, flight or freeze response. The first two are appropriate responses during hard times. It’s a call-to-action by our brains. The freeze response is the most detrimental as it makes you “dead in the water” and unable to adapt and change to your new circumstances.

ACTION:

Take a moment to check in with yourself. Are you in fight, flight or freeze right now?

REACTION:

Fight. The fight response may provide you with a bit of an edge and get you into action. The Coronavirus pandemic has halted so much of our lives so it’s easy to feel powerless, but you are not helpless. Stay focused since too much edge / anger can quickly become detrimental You’re in it for the long haul. You know it’s going to take time. However, when channeled properly fight response can lead to (positive) confrontation and clarity of what’s next.

Flight. Stay present. Your brain is telling you that you are in danger of COVID-19 and financial doom. It wants to flee. While there may be some truth to the feeling of danger it is completely disproportionate to your reality. Use mindfulness and grounding to get clear on what is triggering your stress response. 1-minute meditations, deep breathing, mindful exercise can all bring you back into the moment. In the present you are likely healthy, with a roof over your head and food in the cupboard. The future is uncertain but accepting that sooner rather than later will help you enter fight mode so you can care for yourself, your family and your community.

Freeze. You must get unstuck. To do so you may need to engage in something completely counterintuitive. Action! Having too much time on our hands due to the pandemic can be retriggering the same freeze response over and over. Start a new workout routine, learn to play an instrument, even reading a book can help you thaw out. By using our bodies to get into action we get our brains to unfreeze

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Financial Stress in the Time of the Coronavirus

With the President announcing a nationwide state of emergency, there is no doubt that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a major impact on our country. Schools, events and businesses have closed across the country, impacting millions of people where they feel it the most, their wallets.

While more and more Americans are living in fear over catching or carrying the virus, millions also are adding financial stress as a leading anxiety as they are losing work, paid gigs, or require childcare. While health is, of course, the primary concern, it is also crucial that the additional financial stress is recognized and addressed.

The government is working on ways to alleviate the financial burden that will be experienced by millions of Americans due to the Corona Virus, however, there are key actions individuals do for themselves to help deal with their financial anxiety.

  1. Acceptance

Acknowledge what you are feeling and move on. The sooner you can get into acceptance, as difficult as it may seem, will make everything else easier. Accepting that we live in a new reality will help you start taking the steps to help yourself. It is a mental pivot that will disengage the emotional part of your brain, which is not helpful in moments like these. Your limbic brain, which is your emotional processing center, is sending out stress alarms to the rest of your mind and body most likely causing a fight, flight or freeze reaction. This is our primal caveman response to stress and keeps us stuck and suffering in anxiety. Acceptance helps you externalize the problem, which allows you to discover the relevant part of your fear. Once you accept the state of the world, you will be able to clearly see how it affects you and by focusing on those items, you will be able to make plans and decisions.

  1. Be Present

Our regrets live in the past, our fears and worries live in the future. In times of high stress staying present in the here and now is the antidote to the ruminating thoughts and negative emotions that are driving the fear. Use mindfulness to scan your body for stress and tension in the moments you are feeling it. This will help you to realize that you are physically safe, and it will help block out the outside chatter that is often amplifying fear, insecurity, and anxiety. Staying present will also provide the mental edge to help yourself and your loved ones when the opportunity presents itself.

  1. Spiritual Solution

When times are tough, turning to a spiritual answer can help provide context and give meaning to your struggle. The context of a higher purpose can right-size your current worries. Human beings make meaning of everything we encounter and this current situation with the Coronavirus is no different. This is a time of struggle for everyone. Struggle can often be unmotivating and depressing, but if you seek an uplifting spiritual solution you will find uplifting and even inspiring moments despite the seeming chaos of our current world.

“Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.” ― Randy Armstrong