減少財務焦慮的五種方法大綱

Face the facts

面對事實

Not being sure of the extent of you. cashflow problem will only stoke your anxiety. Schedule some time to go through all your statements and bills. Find out if you really are in the red and, if so, by how much. Knowing what you are dealing with is the first step to sorting it out. The mental health charity Mind suggests asking someone you trust to open the letters for you.

不確定現金流問題的程度只會給你的焦慮添油加醋。安排一些時間來檢查你所有的對賬單。找出你是否真的在虧損，如果是，虧損多少。知道你在處理什麼是解決問題的第一步。心理健康慈善機構建議讓你信任的人幫你打開信封。

Create a budget

作出預算

Once you have a handle on your outgoings, look at your income. Work out how much you have left over after you have met all of your obligations. When you know what you can afford to spend each month, you will feel more in control. Free apps such as Yolt and Money Dashboard can help you track your spending, while online banks such as Monzo let you set spending limits.

一旦你控制了你的支出，再看看你的收入。計算出你完成所有日常消費後還剩多少。當你知道你每個月能花多少錢時，你就會覺得一切盡在掌握。

Ask for help if you need it

需要時尋求幫助

If your debts and other payments are too big to tackle, get help. Energy companies and banks will usually consider lower monthly repayments if you call and tell them you are struggling. Charities such as StepChange and Citizens Advice can help you check that you are claiming any benefits you are entitled to. They can also refer you to other services if you are experiencing anxiety. Sue Anderson, a spokeswoman for StepChange, says people shouldn't put off seeking help: "Delaying seeking help often makes problems worse – people often borrow to try to make ends meet and can end up in a spiral of ever more expensive borrowing as a result.”

如果你的債務或其他支出對你而言太多以致於難以應對，那就尋求幫助吧。只要你找到能源公司幫你查看是否有你滿足資格的福利保障讓你申請。如果你正在焦慮，他們也能將你引向其他服務機構（來尋求幫助）。StepChange的女發言人Sue Anderson稱，人們不應該遲遲不尋求幫助——“拖到最後才尋求幫助通常只會讓事情變得更糟。人們經常試圖通過借錢來達到收支平衡，這樣往往會以比從前更高的、急劇上升的借貸成本爲結果。”

Build a buffer

建立一個應急基金

If you can afford to put some money aside each month, create an emergency fund. Advisers typically recommend aiming for three months' earnings in an easy-access savings account, which you can use for unexpected expenses. If you can't manage that much, any funds you can build up will be helpful. Some employers offer savings schemes where money is redirected from your salary before you get a chance to spend it. The Yorkshire Building Society recently launched a similar "salary sacrifice” scheme to give more workers the ability to save as they earn.

如果你每個月都有能力存一些錢，那就建立一個應急基金。顧問通常建議把三個月的收入放在一個容易獲得的儲蓄賬戶中，你可以用它來支付意想不到的費用。如果你不能管理那麼多，你可以建立的任何基金都是有幫助的。有些僱主提供儲蓄計劃，把錢從你的工資中轉移出來，然後你纔有機會花掉這些錢。約克郡建築協會最近推出了一個類似的“工資犧牲”計劃，讓更多的工人有能力隨着收入的增長而儲蓄。

Understand your relationship to spending

瞭解你與消費的關係

Not everyone with financial anxiety is on the breadline – it may be that even though you are comfortably off you feel panicked about spending and tend to hoard your cash rather than using it. It is worth reflecting on why that might be. Perhaps you grew up in a family with little money and don't want to return to that situation, or you have had a financial shock at some point, or maybe your job or relationship don't feel secure. Ask yourself if having more money in the bank would make you feel better, or if the cash could be used to do things to make you feel happier or safer.

不是每個有經濟焦慮的人都處於貧困線，可能即使你很富有，但是你會對花費感到驚慌並且趨向於儲存你的錢而不是使用它。爲什麼可能這樣是值得思考的。可能你成長於貧困家庭而且你不想回到這種家境，或者你在一些時間有過經濟衝擊，抑或是你的工作或關係無法感到安全。問問你自己當你有錢在銀行時是否覺得更好，或者是否錢能被用於一些事情會讓你感覺更開心或更安全。