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Your heart sank when you looked at your saving and you’re already down to the double digits at the start of the month. Your lenders are putting the heat on you all day asking for their payment, or they’ll start to repossess. What will you do about the rent? What about the car loan? Would you rather be homeless or commute to work?

Unless you are born with a trust fund, you’ll be facing the cold hard realities of financial stress at some time in your life. No one likes to work hard every month just to pay the endless bills but if your income is not keeping pace with inflation; your savings will never be enough. Things could get worse if you’re going through distressful events like the death of a loved one, divorce or a terminal illness.

Financial stress can be felt in a number of ways. For example, you might have difficulty sleeping at night because you are worrying about your finances. You might find yourself short-tempered and, as a result, you might be experiencing conflict with your spouse. You may find yourself yelling at your children for minor infractions, or you may even be hit with panic attacks at work.

The fact is, financial stress can cause you tremendous physical and psychological discomfort. It can lead to anxiety, depression, high blood pressure-even stroke. As a result, financial stress is actually a serious, though often unrecognized, health concern. In essence, your financial problems may be making you sick.

But how do you address what can seem to be an insurmountable problem? To begin with, it is important that you go to your doctor and have a complete physical. State your symptoms, and note that you believe that financial stress may be the cause. Your doctor might then refer you to a psychiatrist for anti-anxiety medication, or to a therapist who can help you work through your problems.

Don’t be shy to seek the expertise of a certified financial planner. You need to know where you’re standing financially right now to determine your financial position five years from now. This may be a painful activity right now, but not going through the planning process could mean a world of hurt later on.

Financial planning starts with working out a budget you can stick to that’ll meet your monthly, annual and long run needs such as college tuition and retirement nest. With a little restraint and smart spending, you can balance everyday needs such as food and bills with the occasional indulgence to reduce the stress.

The first step is to buy a notepad and keep track of your daily expenses, after a month you’ll start to have an idea where all the money is going and the whole experience of budgeting becomes less daunting as you begin to plan ahead instead of shopping on impulse.

Start a healthy habit of setting aside cash in the bank for uncertainties instead of living from paycheck to paycheck. This will give you peace of mind and help pay for whatever life decides to throw your way at 3 a.m. By doing so you’ve eliminated financial stress from keeping you awake at night and start a lifelong habit of true financial health.

Rene Lacapeis a professional health worker who has been handling stress management for young and old alike. There are different ways to handle people and he knows how the system works very well. Call on him now so that you may be helped soon.