FROM NORMAL STRESS TO OVERWHELMED

Even the most organized among us have been there.  You walk into a room, get distracted by something, and forget why you were there in the first place.  You put something aside in a ‘special place’, and then can’t find it later when you desperately need it.  It happens.

But when you hear someone start using the word ‘overwhelmed’, that is the first clue that something has changed in their life and the stress level is getting out of control.  Daily money managers hear this word used by almost all new clients.  Some of the triggers for needing help are

• Loss of a spouse, particularly the ‘financial partner’
• Work/Life balance gets tilted either way
• Advance of an illness or disability
• Cognitive decline

When the stress of one of life’s curveballs is heightened by a sense of foreboding that you are not keeping up with bills, mail, email, medical paperwork, or taxes, then consulting a daily money manager may be the best option to reduce that stress.  Just having peace of mind around something that can be controlled, is a great relief.   Unfortunately, not everyone has a trusted family member or friend who is both willing and able to relieve some of the burden.

Often we find that people have a great deal of shame due to the financial situation, or paperwork backlog, that they find themselves in.  It can be really hard to ask someone else for help.  We understand that and do our best to help clients see that there is a way out, and that they can’t always control everything in their lives—especially not all at the same time.  After all, no one plans for things to get out of control.

Now, where did I put those glasses?