Bag Lady Syndrome

[frugal50]

there is finally a term for what im suffering from, anyone else in the same boat?
i've always had a fear of poverty
and i have all the classic traits of the " BLS"


http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/...lady-syndrome/

[tjthemanto]

Its a pretty common fear , but most don't admit to it.

Usually most people fear that they will have a medical emergency or an accident etc , where they won't be covered and will become bankrupt due to it due to all the medical bills etc.

That's why the insurance agencies which sell various insurances like disability insurance , critical illness insurance etc do so well...they capitalize on that fear.

[roseofblack25]

Yes I think I have it...I think that is part of the reason it has taken me so long to find a place of my own. I always worry about will I be able to afford rent/utilities/food/etc. Then I worry about will I always have a job that pays well enough for me to be able to continue to afford those things. I know I have gone over the numbers a million times and will be fine even if I have to pay 900/month in rent, but I still have that nagging feeling in the back of my mind saying I can't afford it or as soon as I move something will happen and I won't be able to afford it and will be a failure locked into something I can't pay.

[frugal50]

do you ever notice that loners/introverts are more conservative with money?
some articles on BLS often describes women like that, with no social network or family support
tends to be more prone to this syndrome.

[MortgageQueen]

I think the harsh economic times we live in amplify that fear. Jobs are rarely secure anymore and the economy is a coin toss. . . . Factor in the ridiculis increase in diseases and illness. Sheesh. . .I think you'd be overly optimistic not to feel a little insecure. .
That can be healthy in a way. Having a plan B will make you feel more comfortable. I think that's why many people have 6 months cash stowed away (i.e. cashable GIC) to have that peace of mind.

[Minou]

I think I have one worse... Bag Lady with Children Syndrome... In other catastrophic scenarios, it's Dead Bag Lady with Young Orphaned Paupers.

I'm sure a lot of people around here feel it... look at the stockpiles!

[MortgageQueen]

I think I have one worse... Bag Lady with Children Syndrome... In other catastrophic scenarios, it's Dead Bag Lady with Young Orphaned Paupers.

I'm sure a lot of people around here feel it... look at the stockpiles!

I remember a Kinseiologist once told me I needed to stop "negatively predicting the future". It's a mindset we get into based on our insecurities. The only problem is, you waste a whole lot of time worrying and use up time better used for creativity.

I think the only solution is to prepare as best you can for emergencies. . .such as you mentioned Minou. . .if anything happened to you. So to best prepare, you need a stable guardian for your children, a good life insurance policy and an executer of that policy/estate that you can trust.
That's all you can do. After that, it's pointless to worry.

[tjthemanto]

I remember a Kinseiologist once told me I needed to stop "negatively predicting the future". It's a mindset we get into based on our insecurities. The only problem is, you waste a whole lot of time worrying and use up time better used for creativity.

I think the only solution is to prepare as best you can for emergencies. . .such as you mentioned Minou. . .if anything happened to you. So to best prepare, you need a stable guardian for your children, a good life insurance policy and an executer of that policy/estate that you can trust.
That's all you can do. After that, it's pointless to worry.

As someone once told me worry is the interest you pay on a problem.

The principle aka problem remains , but you keep on paying interest on it through worry.

Isn't it better to just pay off the principle without interest than with interest ?

[newb]

"negatively predicting the future".
guilty as charged.....

[MortgageQueen]

As someone once told me worry is the interest you pay on a problem.

The principle aka problem remains , but you keep on paying interest on it through worry.

Isn't it better to just pay off the principle without interest than with interest ?

Good one!

[Minou]

Yup, being prepared helps me feel better! I'm the one seriously figuring out how to reduce radiation exposure for us in our basement in case radioactive fallout ever drifts this way. They only decommissioned the minuteman missiles in Grand Forks, ND in the nineties, and they were only three hours away from here. They still have them in Minot. As a kid in the eighties, I used to lie awake nights worrying about it.

I think I'm just wired to worry!

[MortgageQueen]

Yup, being prepared helps me feel better! I'm the one seriously figuring out how to reduce radiation exposure for us in our basement in case radioactive fallout ever drifts this way. They only decommissioned the minuteman missiles in Grand Forks, ND in the nineties, and they were only three hours away from here. They still have them in Minot. As a kid in the eighties, I used to lie awake nights worrying about it.

I think I'm just wired to worry!

The fact that you "accept" that you're "wired to worry" is part of the problem. I understand , because I'm a natural worrier too BUT I've really made a huge effort to not sweat the small stuff in recent years. When a negative thought comes into your head, you must learn the practice of replacing it with a positive one.
i.e. I worry about nuclear accidents. . . . vs. . . . I am going to appreciate and live in each moment and not take anything or anyone for granted.

[frugal50]

Yup, being prepared helps me feel better! I'm the one seriously figuring out how to reduce radiation exposure for us in our basement in case radioactive fallout ever drifts this way. They only decommissioned the minuteman missiles in Grand Forks, ND in the nineties, and they were only three hours away from here. They still have them in Minot. As a kid in the eighties, I used to lie awake nights worrying about it.

I think I'm just wired to worry!

worry is a habit.... you can change your thought by behavior modification and read topics on how to stop worrying and just live for the moment and take things as they come..... i know i'm a former worrier and now live a carefree life

[Valiant]

Here's a link to realism, not pessimism:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/control/?src=recg

[Minou]

I think you guys are assuming that I'm paralyzed with fear -- I'm not. I just tend to be very careful! My mother used to get tired of all the "what if?" questions when I was a kid! It's really just something in the way I'm wired. I have Tourette syndrome and OCD, which are just kind of part of the same thing (symptoms are very mild now, and I've never really taken medication), so doubt/checking/ritual are kind of built in! Wires just got crossed somewhere, and the whole thing is so brain-rooted that tics have only ever affected one side of my body!

I'm actually pretty positive, and I do enjoy life! I have a great job and a family! I have a sense of humour about my worrying. I just try to reduce risk by planning ahead.

It's kind of a creepy coincidence, but the week BEFORE the tsunami in Japan, I was casually searching online for suppliers of Potassium Iodide pills, just to see if Potassium Iodide could actually be purchased in Canada.