Learning to Love the Simple Things During a Financial Crisis

I can suffer through it, or I can do my best to cope and find the simple pleasures.

Breathe, breathe, breathe … It’s the simple mantra I use to avoid yet another panic attack. I have those now. As a former therapist, I’m well-versed in how to deal with them. I ground myself. I breathe. I make it out of the store and home again without falling apart.

This wasn’t how my life was supposed to go. I was doing well for myself, and then I lost my job due to symptoms of my chronic illness. Yes, I know that’s illegal, and yes, companies do it anyway. Now, I’m left trying to put the pieces back together, but with rising fuel and grocery prices, I am only barely keeping my head above water.

Sadly, I know I’m not alone. So many of us are in financial freefall. It’s rare to go into a store without hearing people talking about sticker shock at the rising prices. Recently, a local utility company raised its prices by quite a bit, and residents are feeling the squeeze. While many are blaming the President for their current financial woes, the reality is that we’re still dealing with the fallout from the pandemic, and it just doesn’t seem to be getting better.

Even with a financial crisis at hand, I’m learning to love the simple things in my life. With little choice but to stay at home and stop spending or eating out, I’m trying my best to find a silver lining. It’s how I cope with all the elements that are currently out of my control.

Do What You Can

I start with doing what I can. There’s comfort in managing the aspects of our lives that are still in our control. I sit down and make a budget. I figure out the gap that still exists between what’s going out and what’s coming in, and I decide how I’m going to manage it. I cut costs where I can, and then I turn my attention to how to make up the income difference. It’s stressful at first to look at those cold, hard numbers, but I have always done better when I have all the facts in front of me. Facts can’t be argued with or negotiated. They can only be managed. I get to choose how to do that.

For several months, I donated plasma twice a week. I only took a break after a medical emergency, but I plan to continue when I can. I do what I can to supplement my income while I’m in this transition, and that might look like market research some weeks and paid university research on others. It doesn’t hurt my pride. In fact, I’m proud of how capable I am in the face of hardship, and I look for more ways to make my situation easier.

Shift Out of Self-Pity

I do occasionally throw myself a little pity party and feel sorry for myself. I don’t wallow there, as much as I’d sometimes like to do so. I shift my perspective out of self-pity into a celebration of my resourcefulness and ingenuity. Instead of crying into a bowl of cheap ramen, I get innovative with the ingredients in my home. Suddenly, an affordable meal turns into something I actually enjoy rather than something I’m eating because I can’t afford to go out.

I recently turned old doors into closet shelving and an old rusted firepit into a raised garden bed. I am upcycling what I can to get what I need. It doesn’t feel sad to me. It feels good. I’m making it look good, too. Instead of buying more books online, which I often do, I trade books with friends and borrow from the public library. I’m using my Kindle Unlimited for all its worth to access new reads there, too. I could keep feeling sorry for myself, or I can be proud of how much I’ve done with so little.

Practice Simple Self-Care

I miss seeing my chiropractor and massage therapist, especially as these were necessary expenses to manage my chronic illness before medication eased my symptoms. I’ve had to give up those luxuries, but I’ve been able to practice other forms of self-care that don’t cost a thing. I drink more water. It saves money and keeps me hydrated. I use home facial products that I already own, and when I run out, I whip up something using common kitchen ingredients like honey and yogurt. I get more sleep these days, and while it might be a nod to depression in this situation, it’s also helping me get through each day with more energy.

There’s much we can do to take better care of ourselves, even during financial struggles. There are plenty of free yoga classes online if I want to take a class, and I can find meditations there, too. I can manage my physical and mental health, and it doesn’t have to be expensive at all.

Appreciate the Lessons

I’ve also learned to practice a lot of self-compassion during this situation. At first, I was angry at myself that I had to run up debt — never mind that much of the debt was necessary expenses I had little control over. I had to stop getting angry and start appreciating the lessons — although sometimes I do both at the same time. I know that when I come out of this particular financial darkness, I will have grown into a person who better prepares for the next one. Because there’s always a next one, isn’t there?

I don’t have to love the lessons, but I let it make me stronger. When I wanted to buy groundcover for weeds in my garden beds, I made my own out of cardboard from shipping boxes collected. I look for ways to use what I have, and I learn to appreciate the lessons learned from this challenging situation. It is a reminder that I am tenacious and capable — more than capable enough to turn this situation around.

Coping with Crisis

I don’t always cope well with what’s happening. Sometimes, I still have panic attacks when I least expect them. But I’m trying. I’m learning to appreciate what I can because this is my life, and I won’t get back these weeks or months when my financial situation gets better. I can suffer through them, or I can do my best to cope with them and find the simple pleasures. I’m choosing to enjoy this time even though the circumstances are not ideal.

I’m not pretending away the gravity of the situation, but I am holding on to hope. I’m appreciating what I do have even in the face of what I don’t. I’m reminding myself that I’ve been in tougher situations and turned them around. I’m honoring my own resourcefulness and tenacity, and I’m not going to stop enjoying my life even if I have to do it between panic attacks and high anxiety. No feeling is final, and I’m choosing to hold on to joy wherever I can, whenever I can, and for as long as I’m able.