Job loss, car trouble, a leaking roof, credit card bills! What else can happen?! What do you do when the month has more financial demands than the bank account can handle?  These are very real life-events for so many right now; all hope is not lost, even though it can feel very overwhelming at times.

Sometimes when life goes into “crisis-mode”, it can be the perfect time to pull together as a family, really be there for each other and also be creative in how to be supportive, and maybe even have some fun, as you come up with ways to navigate this season in your life.

Consider these four ways to cope with economic stress and then see if you can come up with a few more specific to your family!

1 – Have A Financial Plan:

• How parents respond can have a huge impact on how children will in turn handle tough economic times later in their lives.

• This is a great time to teach them financial planning, budgets, finding deals, using coupons.  The family can work together to find other sources of income: clean out the house and have a garage sale, sell stuff on eBay, etc.

2 – Connect With Others (including each other in the family):

• It is a good time to pull together as a family, be creative in dealing with stress, great opportunity to teach your children how to handle these times, for the parents to model a positive way to respond while being real with the challenges.

3 – Use Stress Management Techniques:

• Journaling is essential to get out of the survival mode. Writing out your fears and frustrations will reduce pressure.

• Listen to positive music, read biographies of people who made it through tough times, exercise and especially stay disciplined about getting enough sleep because exhausted people become emotionally frazzled faster.

• Learn to do all you can for the day and then go to bed and rest up to face another day.

4 – Have FUN in Creative Ways:

• It is important to find creative ways to have fun in an inexpensive way…if the focus is all on the bad economy, every one will be stressed constantly and increase household tension…by having times of fun, it will bond the family and relieve the stress.

Millions of families are feeling stuck in survival mode and they are making it, and you can too. You are not a failure if you are facing tough financial circumstances, but you do have to take bold action to make some positive changes in your life.