Financial difficulties and health issues plagued Tracylynne Williams for years. When her television production career in Los Angeles faltered during the 2008 recession, she struggled with insomnia, weight loss, and was diagnosed with uterine fibroids. Without health insurance, she could not afford necessary medical treatments. After prioritizing her health and obtaining insurance, Williams was able to successfully treat her conditions and transition to new career in photography. The article discusses the relationship between financial stress and physical health, and provides advice on maintaining well-being during difficult financial periods.

1. for chronic disease, disability, depression
and anxiety,” explains C. Freeman, M.D.,
chief psychiatrist at the OASIS Clinic in
Los Angeles. “For African-Americans, the
impact can be greater because, generally,
they don’t earn as much as their White
counterparts.”
Tracylynne Williams learned the hard
way that finances can impact health. As a
producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show from
1993 to 1999, she enjoyed the sweet life. But
when she moved to L.A. in 1999 to pursue
new opportunities, the first show she pro-
duced was canceled after “five minutes,”
says Williams, 48. Soon, a pattern of land-
ing a gig, then losing it to cancellation
began, and by 2008, “There was no work.
Everybody was scrapping for $10-an-hour
jobs.”
Williams was worried sick—literally.
Insomnia combined with a lack of appe-
tite led her to lose 25 pounds. Then her
menstrual period went haywire. Heavy
bleeding and a distended lower abdomen
prompted a doctor’s visit and a diagnosis
of fibroids. It’s challenging to keep up
with the Hollywood hustle when you’re
feeling great, but between her health is-
sues and the multiple part-time jobs she
juggled, Williams became so depleted,
she found it difficult to even lkook for
work in her competitive field that would
be satisfying and long-term. It reached
a point where she had to sell her shoes,
furniture and other personal effects; she
even resorted to taking out payday loans.
Fortunately, Williams wisely focused
on what mattered most: her health. “My mother always told me to
listen to my body and never ignore things,” she says. But when her
doctor prescribed Lupron injections to control her bleeding, Wil-
liams would have to pay out of pocket because she didn’t have medi-
cal insurance. “That was a mistake I’ll never make again,” she says.
Upon learning the injections (at $800 to $1,000 a pop) would be an
ongoing issue, she applied for and got a preferred provider organi-
zation plan. In 2011, she underwent uterine fibroid embolization, a
procedure that shrinks fibroids, and a whole new world opened up
for her. “Almost overnight, my energy returned,” Williams says. She
felt so much better, in fact, that she pulled off a career change and is
now a successful photographer and brand manager for such clients
as Keke Palmer.
Bank on Well-Being
To ensure wealth worries won’t cause
mental and physical harm, commit to a
sane approach toward your money and
health. First, make sure your financial
goals are reasonable. It’s unrealistic to
expect to pay off debt, save for a home
and send your eldest to college all in
the same year. “Sometimes it’s best to
do less, because doing more can add to
poor financial decision-making,” says
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, co-founder of
askthemoneycoach.com. Think strategi-
cally: Pay off that $30,000 debt over the
next three years, then move on to the
next goal. “Tackle things in sequence so
you don’t constantly stress out and put an
inordinate amount of pressure on yourself
or your relationships,” she advises. If you
need help, she adds, don’t wait to get it.
The personal finance expert recommends
mydfree.org as a good place to start.
You may have to make some hard choic-
es in terms of the people, places and prod-
ucts that are costing you money. For ex-
ample, paying your child’s private school
tuition on a credit card if you can’t make
the payments in full is unwise; instead,
check out a charter or public school in a
better neighborhood.
On the health side, do all you can to stay
fit and eat right. That doesn’t mean over-
spending on a gym membership or shop-
ping at pricey organic food markets; it
means buying produce in season, cooking
at home instead of dining out and making
time to exercise, which “can be as simple
as taking a 10-minute walk after every meal,” notes Freeman.
And if you’re experiencing health issues, address them immediate-
ly. Recognize that you won’t be able to support yourself or your fam-
ily from your sickbed. And health insurance? It’s a must. “African-
Americans die too often from diseases that are preventable,” Wil-
liams says before adding this advice: “Make your health a priority.”
Fortunately, with their lawsuit settled and put behind them, the
Halls are doing just that. They go on walks and calmly discuss their
future together—because they intend to have one. Shawn believes
that even a situation as exasperating as the one they’ve endured can
have a bright side. “A financial crisis can be a temporary situation,”
she says. “Change your attitude and be encouraged, because maybe
something greater will come from this.”
72 E B O N Y. C O M A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 E B O N Y. C O M 73
S
hawn and Carl Hall had it all: thriving careers, a solid marriage and
beautiful children. There was no reason to believe they wouldn’t enjoy
continued health and success. So in 2004, when Shawn, then a program
manager for the U.S. Department of Education, was offered a full schol-
arship to pursue a second master’s degree, the Halls decided she should
accept. Her academic schedule would allow her time to home school
their daughters, which had become a priority. Still, Shawn admits, “It’s
not easy to quit your good government job.” At the time, she was in her early 30s and earn-
ing a yearly salary of $75,000.
Carl began to juggle two jobs as an airline customer care agent and a warehouse package
shipper, but the couple still had trouble making ends meet. After Shawn earned the degree,
the family relocated from Maryland to North Carolina for gigs that ultimately didn’t pan out.
The Halls had to tap savings, borrow money and even work newspaper routes. Shawn—who
also holds a master’s in international management—finally got good-paying work in 2009,
strategizing for pharmaceutical companies. Unfortunately, a year later, the Halls found
themselves being sued by one of the pharmaceutical companies she consulted for. As their
legal battle progressed, Shawn became pregnant with the Halls’ fourth daughter. “The law-
suit depleted our savings and we were being evicted, so we filed for bankruptcy,” says Shawn,
now 43. “I thought, ‘My God, it can’t get any worse.’”
But it did. Shawn’s blood pressure shot up, and so did her weight. Carl began to experi-
Wealth,Worry
andWell-being
WE’RE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT OUR DEBT, INCOME AND
SAVINGS, BUT WE CANNOT LET THEM TAKE A TOLL ON OUR
HEALTH. HERE’S HOW TO BE PHYSICALLY AND FISCALLY FIT.
B y TA N I S H A A . S Y K E S
ence frequent headaches and tightness in
his chest. “It’s not good,” says Shawn, who
currently takes medication for hypertension
but fears for her husband’s life. “I wanted
him to be here with us,” she remembers with
strain and sadness evident in her voice.
The Health-Wealth Connection
According to the old saying, “When you’ve
got your health, you’ve got everything.”
It’s a great notion that doesn’t always seem
to play out in reality, especially for those
struggling financially. The Halls are hardly
alone in their battle to pay their bills—or to
maintain their physical well-being.
Some 69 percent of us say money con-
tinues to be a top stressor, according to the
survey Stress in America: Paying with Our
Health, recently released by the American
Psychological Association (APA). “Money,
finances, the economy and work responsibil-
ities have been the top sources of stress over
the years,” says Lynn Bufka, Ph.D., a mem-
ber of the APA’s Stress in America team.
And stress is more than psychological; it
can wreak havoc physically. When human
beings are under stress, our levels of cortisol
increase. But this “fight or flight” hormone,
as it’s known, is for acute situations; our
bodies are simply not designed to sustain
constant stress. “A prolonged, heightened
state of alertness due to chronic financial
hardships will often result in increased risk
Tackle things in
sequence so you don’t
constantly stress out
and put an inordinate
amount of pressure on
yourself or
your relationships.
E L E VAT E Are Financial Worries Making You Sick?
I l l u s t r a t i o n s b y JA C O B T H O M A S
1. Pray. It’s a long-
held belief in our
community that
prayer changes
things. Talk to your
higher power and
ask for strength.
2. Stay Present.
During stress-filled
periods our minds
can focus on the
negative. “Compare
those to the times
when you are hav-
ing a peak perfor-
mance,” suggests
Jay Winner, M.D.,
author of Relaxation
on the Run: Simple
Methods to Reduce
Stress in Seconds.
3. Meditate. “You
can relieve ev-
eryday stress by
using relaxation
techniques such as
meditation,” says
Winner. He teaches
12 free relaxation
exercises at stress-
remedy.com.
4. Breathe. This
exercise can ease
stress in seconds.
Take a long full
breath to con-
sciously relax your
jaw. On a second
breath, relax your
neck. And on your
third breath, relax
the area between
your eyes.
5. Reframe. If
you’ve raced to
the shortest line in
the store that then
became the slow-
est one, don’t fret.
Use this downtime
to list things you’re
grateful for or talk to
other people in line,
Winner advises.
5 Stress Busters
Ward off money worries with these tips: