Economy
Candice Machado
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From 2007 to 2020, Bruna Maia, 32, and Maria Janieire Maia, 61, saw the family business expand. What had started as a restaurant turned into a space for events in 2015, a business so successful that it soon needed to be expanded with a buffet service, offering a choice of dishes, waiters and other party materials. Successful and with a busy schedule, they quickly introduced the mobile buffet, taking the entire service to the homes of customers who could not find a place, but wanted to guarantee a kitchen, table and service.
Espaço Aberto Eventos and Idealis Buffet were already consolidated when Covid-19 arrived and social restrictions became imperative. Mother and daughter watched the bills pile up. “We had to sell tables, chairs and materials to guarantee our livelihood and help the people who worked with us. Waiters, waiters, cook, assistants. I felt a huge weight knowing that others depended on us. How were we going to pay for all that?”, recalls businesswoman Bruna Maia.
Blocked cards, debts with suppliers, employees in difficulty and the uncertain provision of a family that still included the father, three children and the sister who had managed to return from Europe during the pandemic crisis. Soon the financial crisis also shook Bruna’s emotions.
“It was desperate, I had generalized anxiety attacks, concerns about energy and food. There were times when I was locked in my room for days, not wanting to see anyone, looking for a solution, thinking about everything that was happening,” she says.
This turbulent period and its damage to Bruna’s well-being represent well what was recently mapped in two surveys by fintech Onze in partnership with the insurance company Icatu. According to the studies “Health & Management” and “Financial Stress”, seven out of ten Brazilians say that financial problems affect their emotional health, with the main consequences being anxiety (53%) and insomnia (41%). ), in addition to reports of depression, damage to romantic and family relationships and impacts on physical health. Another 68% say that financial concerns directly affect their day-to-day work.
For 55% of those interviewed, the biggest fear is not having money for health emergencies, accidents, or to help friends and family, while 41% reveal that their income does not even cover monthly expenses, 59% do not have a reserve and 64% say that bills already affect quality of life.
According to the psychologist and founding partner of Flow Desenvolvimento Integral, Adriana Bezerra, the fear of not being able to honor commitments or meet basic needs can generate strong emotional stress, damaging the ability to find ways to solve problems.
“The feeling of helplessness, often caused by worries and the difficulty of negotiating debts, can cause anxiety and depression, affect self-esteem, reduce confidence and the ability to find solutions”, he explains.
New Cicle
The more mental health is affected, the greater the difficulty in managing finances and vice versa. A vicious circle that needs to be broken to avoid developing into more serious conditions in all areas. “We need to ask for help. Explain the real situation to the family so that everyone can contribute and seek qualified support for correct financial guidance. But for all of this to be consistent, self-knowledge is essential. The change movement must be “from the inside out” to be sustainable”, says Adriana.
This has been the path taken by Bruna Maia. With the support of the family and the help of employees in promoting online, mother and daughter started a delivery service. Debts owed to cards and suppliers were paid in installments and the projects were resumed.
“It took two to three years. Little by little, we bought everything again and even increased the number of people working with us. But I continue with a psychologist. It was a period of great uncertainty, so I’m always thinking about new sources of income, but I work psychologically to make this search healthy”, he reinforces.
How to transform finances into fulfillment and achievements
Economic problems cause emotional havoc with physical and cognitive consequences, which can generate a constant state of anxiety, stress and depression. The situation harms people in all areas of life, including professional life, which is so essential, precisely in these moments of debt.
“In the individual financial mentoring service, I heard reports of people who started to experience insomnia, tachycardia, dizziness and other discomforts. In the business sphere, when employees are having financial problems, the loss of benefit effectiveness, high turnover, increase in absences, fraud and others is noticeable”, says Darla Lopes, founding partner of Edfica Consultoria de Impacto and member director of sustainability and financial education at the Brazilian Institute of Economics and Finance of Ceará (Ibef-CE).
The specialist in strategic finance and sustainability management spoke to The Optimist and provided insights that can help find solutions in turbulent periods, guiding planning that transforms finances into a path to fulfillment and achievements.
1. Transform and learn
The first step is to face the current situation head on and interpret it as momentary. Realizing that it is possible to learn from mistakes is fundamental.
2. A person’s financial situation goes far beyond numbers
Human beings want to maximize pleasure and avoid suffering, and may spend unnecessarily to supply the sensation of immediate pleasure. “In the office, we carry out ‘financial therapy’ work that helps the client become more aware when making financial decisions”
3. Make financial planning
Every present decision has a future consequence, which could be debt if the person does not have a financial plan. For planning to be effective, some observations are essential:
Understanding yourself as part of nature leads to a life with more purpose, contributing to more conscious and sustainable choices.
Turning dreams into goals is a fundamental element in anyone’s life, as it will provide motivation to start and maintain financial planning.
Have a well-defined personal budget, with income, expenses and investment goals for at least one year.
Prioritize impact investments. Transforming the world begins with small choices that benefit us and transform lives.
