Receipt Truth

She laid the receipts flat and faced the numbers without flinching. Financial stress has been shown to negatively affect sleep quality, mental health, and physical well-being, especially when uncertainty is ignored rather than addressed (Sweet et al. 150).

Creating even a basic budget increases perceived control and reduces stress by turning uncertainty into concrete information (Netemeyer et al. 77). She breathed, wrote, adjusted. Acceptance did not mean liking the numbers. It meant respecting reality enough to change it.

Works Cited (MLA)
Netemeyer, Richard G., et al. “Psychological Factors Related to Financial Well-Being.” Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 45, no. 1, 2018, pp. 68–89.
Sweet, Elizabeth, et al. “Financial Strain, Stress, and Health.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, vol. 54, no. 2, 2013, pp. 145–159.