How to weather a medical emergency, Part 3

If you're in the middle of a medical crisis, it may be tempting to spend money to make yourself feel better. Chances are you feel like crap. Maybe you're scared or depressed. Maybe it feels like your life will never be the same again.

You deserve a treat. It's very easy to give yourself permission to overspend when things are not going well. Why not? you tell yourself. Life is too short.

So you need to find a way to do something to make yourself feel better that won't deplete your resources too much.

Accept gifts gracefully. If someone wants to help, LET THEM. When I was sick, it seemed like every day something wonderful came through my door. People brought meals. My sister showed up in my hospital room and gave me a pedicure. Someone loaned me a big stack of DVDs to watch while I recovered. Someone bought me new flannel sheets in warm colors. Someone gave me a gift certificate to get a massage. A friend loaned me a stack of poetry books and novels, and an activity book with cool things to do with my son. I got an amaryllis bulb that I watched bloom over several weeks. All these things made me feel pampered without my having to spend a dime, and most of them didn't cost the giver very much either.

Do things, don't buy things. In my normal life, I always wish I had more time. I never have enough time to get everything done, let alone time to do nothing. So while I was sick, I made myself take time to NOT get anything done. I lay on the couch and watched the first 3 seasons of The Office. (Yay, Scranton, PA!) I did tiny errands on foot just so I could take extra long walks. I went to the library by myself and took as long as I wanted to choose books and movies. I took long baths. I did my version of winter gardening--tending my houseplants. I talked on the phone to my sister for two hours if I felt like it.

Think before you buy. Over a year ago, I saw a ring in a local jewlery store that I wanted in the worst way. I never did buy it, but I've been thinking about it all this time. I went back there recently, and they still have the ring. Since I've been thinking about it for over a year, I think we can safely say that this is no impulse buy. I have been managing not to treat my anxiety about the medical situation with my credit card, so I'm going to buy myself this ring. After all, life IS too short.

Know when to return to normal. When you're in crisis mode, sometimes it really is necessary to spend more. You buy more convenience foods. You're paying whatever it costs to park in the hospital parking lot. You're paying for more childcare. You just had surgery, so you keep the thermostat up a lot higher than usual. But one day, you look around and realize that the crisis is over. Even if life really will never be the same, at a certain point you have to figure out how you can afford your life as it is now. This is the new normal. Is it within your means?

How to weather a medical emergency, Part 1
How to weather a medical emergency, Part 2