So how is April 15
th finding you this year? Wrought with
stress, or breathing a little easier? Shuffling together last-minute
receipts and W-2 forms, or calmly rifling through your bin of
clearly-labeled folders? Depending on your situation, your timeliness,
or perhaps your organization skills, Tax Day is either a mini-Christmas
or a dreaded nightmare. Even if you’ve got the hang of tax season and
can run the online quick tax programs in your sleep, chances are that
it’s still no walk in the park. If you’re like most Americans, Tax Day
can leave you feeling a little tense. Whether it’s because you’re
significantly more likely to get in a car accident on this day, or
because well over half of Americans find doing their taxes to be
stressful, or because, per the IRS’ report, a full 1/3 of us wait until
the last minute to file taxes; nationally speaking, we’re a hot mess
come April 15
th. Why the anxiety? "Money is a major source of
stress on people, and what tax season does is shine a great big
spotlight on the issue," says Michael McKee, a Cleveland Clinic
psychologist and president of the U.S. branch of the International
Stress Management Association for the WebMD website. "Money takes center
stage at tax time, even if you might have been able to push it to the
wings the rest of the year." It’s like a giant spotlight illuminating
your dirtiest closet, biggest pimple, or your giant Justin Bieber CD
collection. Talk about a taxing process.
Painful process aside, statistics are actually in your favor for
getting money back from the IRS. In 2015 it was estimated by CNN that
nearly eight out of ten of us get a tax return. If you find yourself in
that happy majority, the question stands: just what to do with this
mid-spring mini windfall. You could treat your family to a fancy dinner,
yourself to a spa weekend, or your pooch to a week at Dan’s Doggy
Daycare. Want an even better idea? We believe that treating yourself to a
few more
personal training and nutrition sessions at our studio is,
hands-down, the very best use of your tax return. Here’s why:
- You know that stress we were talking about earlier? The
cortisol-raising, brownie-binge-inducing, sleep-stealing, brain-zapping
stress? It turns out that exercise zaps every one of those nasty effects
of stress, plus does way more.
- Exercise can also elevate our self-esteem. Which is much-needed
after our dirty (financial) laundry has been thoroughly aired and
exposed.
- Forcing yourself now to keep a healthy routine of regular exercise
and good nutrition drastically raises your likelihood of keeping it up
in the future. Making exercise a top priority today is some of the best
health insurance there is.
Filing your taxes is, for many people, one of the most stressful
times of the year, second only to tornados or other natural disasters.
When you finally finish, the return you get is like a little reward –
for your hard work at your job, for your tax preparation and filing, and
for making sure that you get enough taxes taken out all year long. Why
not put the sudden extra funds toward maintaining your physical health
and mental health, ensuring that you’ll be able to live the life you
want for years to come? This year’s tax return could be a huge step
toward an ongoing lifetime of health. Who knows? If you make a proactive
health decision with your tax return every year, you might actually
start looking forward to Tax Day.
