I woke up the other day with a sinking feeling in my stomach.
There's still this deep seated fear buried inside that things are going to fall apart.
Nothing specific, just the thought that this is too good to last - the house, two incomes, the dog. Somehow, I'm going to lose it all and it's going to be taken away.
If there is such a thing as financial PTSD, I think I have it.
From money troubles to money worries
As I work to rebuild from the past couple years and improve my financial wellness, I imagine my emotional well-being will too.
In How To Worry Less About Money, John Armstrong draws a distinction between money troubles (urgent, immediate, pressing) and money worries (emotional, complex).
Going from worrying about the day-to-day and the immediate future to worrying about the distant future is a nice change. I mean, it's still a worry, but it's a hell of a lot less stressful.
When you know you're making ends meet you have the ability to actually be future-oriented - and that's the only way to actually get ahead financially. To figure out where to put your money to work the best for you.
All I can do is wait it out, I imagine. Acknowledge (or ignore) those fears as they rear their heads. Slay them with logic, or contempt. Only time, and money, will heal.