by Debra Taylor-McGee, Ed.D.

You might feel alone; but, you are not. Many world citizens are wondering how they will manage if they lose their businesses or practices. The spoken and unspoken Mayday is being heard in many therapy offices. Anxiety over our money is beginning to terrify many people, and they are seeking help for sometimes paralyzing symptoms of anxiety. Heart pounding, feelings of dread or fear, sleep changes, appetite changes, intrusive thoughts causing difficulty concentrating – these are all symptoms of anxiety – and prevent us from taking action to remedy a national situation which is overwhelming at best.

Anxiety is rising because our very basis of security is being shaken – how we make money affects how we pay for shelter and food and how we take care of our loved ones. How do you find peace? In other articles, I have written about how to allay anxiety by meditation, a break from the news, surrounding us with positive people, and exercise.

But what about nuts and bolts ways to take charge? Finding a way to take control helps the symptoms subside because you are taking positive actions. But until the symptoms subside, you may not have the focus and energy you need to take control. What a catch-22!

Jonathan, a 34 year old dentist, has been observing his practice start to dwindle. He’s worried. He wakes up in the middle of the night by his heart beating rapidly, sweating and afraid. He was in debt from dental school, office start-up costs, and daily living. He also had a wife who worked part time in the practice and two children, a mortgage and two dogs. He was just beginning to see large enough profits to pay himself a salary when the economic floor fell out. Our first step is to help him manage his fears and feelings of being out of control.

Part of feeling out of control is not seeing options to restore our safety. While I can help people with their money beliefs and the issues underlying them, I defer to financial planners to help make a plan for the money. I recommend a couple of different fee only financial planners (from National Association of Personal Financial Advisors or NAPFA) to look at the total economic picture. These planners don’t sell products; they review the person’s financial state and help them make a plan to improve his situation. They can look at your finances including debt load and suggest a specific way to cope with it. Sometimes it means making a bare bones budget or rearranging debt so that it can be paid in a different, more manageable manner.

I help people, like Jonathan, manage his anxiety while he worked with the financial planner. The intertwining of strategies to cope with anxiety and to develop clarity about his situation led to increasing energy and focus. He was able to create and implement marketing, financial and stress reduction plans. Jonathan found a part time consulting position and teaches a class in order to bring in more money during this time. His wife works extra hours in another dental office. Once his anxiety was manageable, he could think creatively again. While not everyone wants to, Jonathan was able to look at deeper issues that contributed to his anxiety. When his symptoms whisper to him now, they are signaling him to take action of some sort. Once he identifies what the symptoms are telling him, he has noticed that the symptoms subside. He can then take action. Learning to listen to the underlying message of our symptoms is an important coping skill.

While therapy and financial planners might seem beyond your financial abilities, consultation will save you money in the long run. Sometimes just scheduling an hour to talk helps reduce the anxiety enough to take action. After all, we all need a good listening to at times! Please don’t suffer in silence, there is help out there.

About the Author

Dr. Deb, or Debra Taylor-McGee, Ed.D., HSPP, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. She enjoys working with individuals and couples from all professions; however, she is especially fond of working with attorneys. Attorneys are highly verbal, information driven, and sometimes quite opinionated. Working with this group is challenging and rewarding. Once the attorney channels his or her drive into therapy, his or her transformation is tremendous!

Dr. Deb also enjoys working with adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Once they discover that they are not stupid or spacey, they soar.

Dr. Deb has a number of clients who are financially stressed. While they are not necessarily debt laden, they have sabotaging beliefs about money and success.

Working with an ADHD attorney who keeps himself from being successful is her ideal client! You can contact her through her website, http://www.theattorneystherapist.com

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