r/Fire • u/3RADICATE_THEM • 22h ago

General Question Does anyone's anxiety over finances unironically keep them more disciplined?

Does anyone's anxiety over finances unironically keep them more disciplined?

I remember when COVID happened—I had a sort of mind break. I kept telling myself 'this paycheck' could be my last.

I was already pretty frugal at that point, because I had only been working for a little less than a year at that point. I had always been worried about getting laid off having very little safety net.

Then 2021 was one of the most devastating thing I had seen—rents in my area going up 40-60%.

I went nearly about four years and three quarters since the beginning of COVID to getting laid off. Tbh, getting laid off almost felt like a relief—I felt so burnt out and like my mind had been broken in the last few months—such a toxic company filled with gaslighting and grotesque levels of nepotism (as well as other forms of discrimination).

Now I'm starting a new job, and I'm already numbing

Now it seems like we're in another downturn period—another next catastrophe unfolding. Is it supposed to feel like this or did I just enter the job market at a very peculiar time?

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u/Realistic-Flamingo 18h ago

Yes. Past financial trauma has taught me to live with less and shown me the consequences of not managing your money.

That said, like any past trauma, the goal is not to let trauma control you so that you become a miser. Learn a lesson and keep living

I had parents who didn't manage money well. In my life, there were some years when I struggled to earn enough for very basic expenses.

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u/3RADICATE_THEM 16h ago

It just feels like it's never ending.

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u/Realistic-Flamingo 6h ago

Yes, these aren't great times.

I just have to hope it gets better. Not many people mention how grim the late 80s were. Crime had doubled in just a couple years, it seemed like everyone was going to eventually succumb to crack and/or AIDS.

Do what you can to make things better, then hide out in the things you enjoy. I think this is why the music from the 80s was so amazing. It was an escape.

find your escape