We’re all getting crushed under the vehicle of Crony Capitalism. It’s normal to feel unwell. If you’re struggling financially, that’s not something anyone has the right to blame you for entirely. Every human being is born into a system designed to extract every last drop of labor value out of them. Surviving a world like this can be very difficult, unless you’re born rich, or get incredibly lucky. Most of us struggle to survive. Don’t let anyone gaslight into thinking this is all your fault.
The reality is, life is incredibly difficult, and it’s only been made more difficult because of how markets are manipulated by greed and concentrated power.
There are several foundations that can fortify you from these oppressive forces. Those foundations are health, happiness, and budgeting.
1. Health
Being healthy involves four elements that can be seen as the “walls” for the mental “home” we live in. They are the physical components that allow the mental components to flourish. After all, it’s hard to do math when you’re hungry and tired.
The four components of health are:
- Eating
- Sleeping
- Exercise
- Cleanliness
This section breaks down how we can use these four elements to better ourselves, and why it’s important to budget time, effort, and money for them.
Eating
Budgeting for quality food is a must.
Being unhealthy will cost you more in the long run with medical bills and misery. Bad food can also leave you in a state of worry and poor decision-making if you’re hopped up on sugar all the time. Good food pays dividends with your health and well-being. You will feel more stable, look better, feel better, and preserve your health if you make good decisions with food.
Sleeping
Get enough sleep every night to function.
How much sleep is enough? Well, that depends. Most adults need around 7 or more hours of sleep every night (American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society).
Good news for busy people though, you probably don’t need a full 8 hours of sleep, according to study published in 2002 looking at the sleep habits of over a million people (BMJ).
Exercise
Physical exercise can make you feel better and give you more structure. Not everyone needs to be a powerlifter, but everyone can benefit from some form of exercise. Even a 10 minute walk in the mornings or evenings can do wonders for the body. Yoga is another great form of exercise that can help you stretch, relax, and feel better.
Cleanliness
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
You will feel better about yourself if you don’t stink. You’ll feel even better if you take some time to dress nicely, or at least put on clean clothes. Pull yourself out of the funk, literally and figuratively.
The four fundamentals of health will build your walls up and protect the next foundation, happiness.
2. Happiness
Money won’t buy you happiness, but being broke sure can make you feel miserable.
Try to remove the concept of money from your mind as you engage in the fundamentals of health. This is an exercise in mindfulness. Let’s get the root purified, and then focus later on budgeting. Of course, there are times when you may be trapped in a spiral of unaffordability. Try your best, reach out to others for help, and focus on what you can do right away.
Money, in reality, has nothing to do with eating, sleeping, exercise, and cleanliness… but of course, in a world that’s been manipulated by capital and greed, all four are inexorably tethered to cash. You need money to buy food to eat, and lots of money for quality meals. You need time away from work to sleep, in addition to the time you spend unwinding and doing chores. You need time and sometimes equipment for exercising. You need a place to practice proper hygiene, and supplies that cost money, like soap, toothpaste, etc.
If you’re obsessed with money, then it will drag you down.
To the best of your ability, find moments of peace.
Meditate, relax, have fun.
“Budget” time for yourself and to visit loved ones.
Go do things you like.
Life is a beautiful thing, and sometimes it’s easy to forget that.
Happiness will come and go, and that’s normal. Just do your best to maintain a positive and steady outlook. A still mind is unshaken by turmoil. Having an inner calm will help you think more clearly, and make better decisions.
Just as health contributes to happiness, feeling a sense of well-being and joy will help you make better financial decisions.
3. Budgeting
You can only control what you spend.
We can’t really control how much money we make. Of course, we can apply to jobs and hope for the best, but in reality, it’s all just luck of the draw. The most financially successful people may tell you that hard work pays. In some cases, this is true, but it all still boils down to the birth lottery and how things play out in life.
We also can’t really control the market. Look, things are expensive. Corporate greed is rampant. Inflation is out of control. Rent is rising. Homes are overpriced. Interest rates are high. Food costs way too much. Nothing we do, or say, or vote for will fix this, short of a complete societal revolution.
The one thing we can control financially is where we put the money we come across.
Budgeting is the art of balancing income and expenses.
The goal, obviously, is to earn more than we spend.
We need to make enough money to pay the survival bills like housing, food, medical, etc. Then of course there’s the day to day things like clothes, furniture, stuff like that. We’re not robots, so we also need creature comforts and entertainment, like treating ourselves to a movie, going out to eat, you know… doing normal human things that make us feel good!
Budgeting puts us on track and gives us a plan.
Having a plan helps to quell the existential dread of worrying about money.
You can take control of your finances right now, and start building better habits.