TODAY’S POLL

LAST POLL RESULTS

88.7% of you voted A great deal in Friday’s poll: How much do you think financial stress affects mental health?

“I believe it is the root cause of almost all problems that aren’t caused by a medical reason.”

“Anxiety, fear, embarrassment, sleeplessness.”

“It will cause one to lose sleep, have panic attacks, and become fearful of spending a dime. It happened to me when my house was in foreclosure and my vehicle was struck by lightning.”

“Squeezing every penny adds pressure to everything.”

“As a poor college student for 9 years, and then paying off my loans for 24 years, believe me: financial stress has been the biggest part of my life.”

“Except losing loved ones, it is the worst!!!!”

“It is debilitating and often catastrophic.”

“Enough said.”

“In this economic downturn, people are finding it harder to pay bills, and even housing and rental costs are causing stress that builds up slowly and escalates. That stress then affects mental health. It’s a vicious cycle.”

“Constant worry and anxiety about how you’re going to pay the mortgage or rent, put food on the table, pay bills, get gas, pay taxes, invest in retirement, etc., on an income that less than five years ago was considered ‘I’ve made it’ money, is EXTREMELY STRESSFUL. The constant robbing Peter to pay Paul… it’s too much! And it doesn’t seem to be letting up, either.”

“Nowadays, just about anything and everything can affect mental health.”

“It’s a constant presence in their lives, and for that reason alone, it’s an immensely frightening thing to live with.”

“Unfortunately, money is everything in this world. :(”

“No money, no nothing.”

“If you don’t have the funds, you don’t eat and you become homeless. How many homeless people have mental health issues? Most of them. It’s sad.”

“I grew up without a lot of financial worries because I had great opportunities to learn and improve my financial well-being and growth. Unfortunately and sadly, most of our younger men and women do not have those same opportunities and have far fewer, and much harder-to-reach, goals when it comes to achieving and maintaining financial and welfare ‘security.’”

“I was hesitant to say ‘a great deal,’ so I clicked ‘somewhat.’ It looks like my first instinct is more in line with how folks feel. It’s totally true, in my opinion, that financial stress will affect your well-being. It’s happening everywhere in our country now, and it will continue downhill if nothing is done about it. I’m ready for change, new blood, and not being worried every single day about how my family and friends are going to get by. I know this has exacerbated not only my mental health, but my physical health as well. The same goes for my 24-year-old autistic son. 😞”

“There are always going to be economic ups and downs. The key is a little discipline and prior planning. Just try to enjoy life and live within your means.”

“I’ve always said, ‘Money doesn’t buy happiness,’ but it does greatly relieve financial stress. That’s one less source of stress in your life, provided you live within your means — which too many people simply DO NOT.”

“I think it creates the most stress. Money may not buy happiness, but it does buy peace of mind.”

“As you get older and have your retirement funds in place, the stress seems to go away.”

“DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH WEALTH YOU HAVE.”

“No doubt about it — finances are a stressor, especially for 90% of wage earners. Building financial security helps, but that doesn’t make it easier, especially when you’re younger and just beginning your earning potential, or older, with age limiting the time and opportunities you have to build financial security. It really bothers me how the ultra-wealthy avoid paying taxes on their financial gains through options that aren’t available to the little guy. Without going into how extreme wealth is managed and sheltered for the 1%, and the fairness of it all, let’s just leave it at this: for 90% of Americans, financial stress is a real thing.”

“Where does the money go?”

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