If you’re dealing with debt or a financial crisis, you need to reduce your stress level before you can effectively manage your money problems. These are effective, expert-endorsed tips for lowering your financial stress level – which will help you solve your money woes!

Before the tips, a quip:

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.” ~ Cree Indian Proverb

Before you can create financial abundance, you need to take care of the basics: oxygen, water, and food. That’s what these tips for overcoming financial stress are all about! For more practical money advice, read The Cure for Money Madness: Break Your Bad Money Habits, Live Without Financial Stress–and Make More Money! . And, here are six surprising ways to cope with a financial crisis…

Overcome Financial Stress – 6 Surprising Tips for Managing Money Problems

1. Have breakfast before drinking coffee (or skip coffee altogether!). “Excess caffeine leads to headaches, muscle tremors, sleep disturbances, and high blood sugar levels,” says Manhattan-based psychologist Joseph Cilona. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach causes sugar levels to spike 250% higher than with food, which lowers your coping skills. Plus, Dr Cilona says, “High glucose levels have been associated with impaired attention, decreased speed of information processing, impaired memory, lethargy, agitation, anxiety, and mood disturbance. These effects can have a dramatic negative impact on our ability to cope with daily stressors and usually compromise mental functioning significantly.” Who knew that caffeine could affect your mental state – and your ability to manage your money problems – so dramatically?

2. Munch pistachio nuts while you crunch your budget. Research from Penn State University shows that pistachios lower blood pressure and lessen the biological effects of all types of stress – including financial. Bonus: pistachios are high in antioxidants and healthy fiber. The healthier you are physically, the better able you’ll be to take care of yourself financially.

3. Toot toot! Eat the magical fruit. To keep your energy levels high so you can manage your money problems, recharge by eating iron-packed legumes such as black, pinto, and navy beans. “If you’re low on iron, you’re likely to feel tired and have trouble sleeping,” says Dr. Fabrizio Mancini, president of Parker College. Mix beans into soups, salads, and wraps for energy that will stay with you all day.

4. Don’t stress too much about weight gain. Research from Indiana University at Bloomington shows that a little extra cushioning can boost your immune system, provide insulation to fight the cold winter temperatures, and increase your energy levels. Don’t add to your financial stress by worrying about your weight gain (or weight loss!). Instead, exercise regularly for the sake of health and fitness (not just to lose weight), and do low-cost home-based workouts (my favorite exercise DVDs lower my stress level and keep me trim).

5. Relax with 5-HTP and kava kava. To boost your mood, author of Emotional Freedom Dr Judith Orloff recommends 150 mg 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) daily. It’s a plant extract that converts into serotonin in the brain and gently reduces anxiety and improves sleep. Kava kava (300 mg daily) is taken from the root of a South Pacific pepper plant, and promotes relaxation, sleep, and relieves muscle tension. Together, they work wonders for your emotional state – and maybe they’ll even help you achieve your financial goals!

6. Be careful with alcohol and prescription medications. Not only does drinking too much NOT help you overcome financial stress, the after-effects contribute to the doldrums. Too much alcohol leads to lack of good quality sleep and disrupts sleep patterns. Julia Tatum Hunter, M.D., says “One solution is to eat foods which keep our liver cleansed from toxins, heavy metals, fatty infiltration and the enzymes in the liver functioning energetically, make everything function more efficiently.” And of course the better you feel, the better able you’ll be to manage your money problems! Dr Hunter also says, “Alcohol affects many medications – especially pain, anti-anxiety, and anti-depressant prescriptions.” Be careful about mixing your medications and alcohol, my friends – else you’ll have more than financial crisis to deal with!

If you have any thoughts or questions on these six surprising tips for managing money problems, please comment below…

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