Yesterday, I got a flat tire.
Annoying? Yes.
Stressful? Surprisingly… no.
And that’s not because I love unexpected car problems. It’s because I had already planned for this moment.
A good Samaritan stopped to help and changed the tire for me. I had cash on hand to thank him. And when it came time to think about replacing the tire, I didn’t feel that familiar tightness in my chest—because I already knew the money was there.
That calm wasn’t accidental.
When Money Stress Hits a Body With Chronic Illness
If you live with chronic illness, you already know this truth in your bones:
Stress is not “just stress.”
It’s a physiological event.
Money stress activates the nervous system. It raises cortisol. It increases inflammation. And in a body already working overtime—whether that’s from lipedema, EDS, autoimmune disease, dysautonomia, or another chronic condition—financial stress can be the thing that tips you into a flare.
This is something I’ve experienced firsthand, over and over again.
And it’s why I don’t separate “money management” from health anymore.
Why This Flat Tire Didn’t Cause a Flare
The reason yesterday didn’t spiral wasn’t luck—it was planning.
Specifically, I had changed a potential ARRR (Accident Requiring Rapid Resources) situation into an IF (Incremental Fund). By saving in an IF, we save a little each month for our ARRRs, WHENS, PLANS, WANTS, and DREAMS.
I then changed the IF into PLANS (Planning Life, Anticipating Next Solutions), by naming the account “Car Maintenance” so that the money wouldn’t be spent for any random thing that cam along. This allowed me to have the money set aside in anticipation of my next car ARRR.
An IF (Incremental Fund)
An IF is money you save a little at a time for known categories of life expenses.
Instead of thinking, “I hope nothing happens,” you think:
“When it happens, I’m ready.”
That shift alone is profoundly regulating to the nervous system.
When the flat tire happened, my body didn’t go into fight-or-flight because my brain already knew the answer to the most important question:
Can I afford this?
And the answer was yes because one of my PLANS was named:
Car Maintenance
Car repairs are not ARRR emergencies.
They are predictable expenses with unpredictable timing.
ARRRs have RISK (Required, Immediate, Sudden, Key), and by having PLANS, we remove our RISK, and also reduce our stress.
Tires wear out. Batteries die. Brakes need replacing. Pretending otherwise doesn’t protect us—planning does.
Anticipatory Planning Is Nervous-System Support
This is what I teach over and over again, especially to people living with chronic illness:
Reactive money management keeps your body on edge.
Anticipatory planning gives your body safety signals.
When your brain knows:
- the bills are covered
- the predictable expenses are planned for
- the “what ifs” already have solutions
…it stops scanning for danger.
That matters for everyone.
It matters even more when your body is already sensitive to stress.
Financial Planning Is Part of Healing
We talk a lot about:
- food
- supplements
- medications
- sleep
- pacing
But we don’t talk nearly enough about how financial uncertainty keeps the stress response switched on.
I’ve learned that healing isn’t just about what you add medically—it’s also about what you remove.
And one of the biggest things I’ve removed from my life is constant money panic.
Want Help Reducing Your Money Stress?
If money stress is something your body reacts to—and if you want a calmer, more supportive financial system that works with your health instead of against it—I’d love to help.
👉 Check out my resources here.
📖 And subscribe to my blog, where I share how I’m tracking, predicting, and intervening with flares—financial and physical.
Because healing isn’t just medical.
It’s financial, too.
Subscribe to my blog to follow along!
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