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Ivan Glazyrin
IvanG212
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Financial dysmorphia - a modern psychological problem, diagnosis and correction

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12.05.24
11 min read
Financial dysmorphia - a modern psychological problem, diagnosis and correction

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Financial dysmorphia is a condition where a person experiences severe anxiety and worry about their finances. This can manifest itself in a variety of forms, from fear of spending money to an obsession with hoarding. In addition to everyday life, financial dysmorphia can also affect a person's decisions in more specific areas, such as playing poker.

Poker is not only a game of luck, but also a test of financial courage and confidence in one's decisions. Financial dysmorphia in poker can have a significant impact on a player's behavior at the table, leading to undesirable consequences.

One of the symptoms of financial dysmorphia is a fear of spending money. In the context of poker, this can manifest itself in risk aversion and a too conservative style of play. A player experiencing financial dysmorphia may prefer to keep his chips instead of making the necessary bet or other actions, which can ultimately lead to missed opportunities to win. Compulsive spending and debt accumulation, characteristic of financial dysmorphia, can also have an impact on gaming behavior. 

A player experiencing this imbalance may be prone to risky decisions in an attempt to make up for his losses. This can lead to ill-considered decisions at the poker table and even long-term financial consequences (for example, playing outside the bankroll and going broke). So, financial dysmorphia can significantly affect the behavior of a poker player. Leading to excessive conservatism or compulsive decisions. Understanding this phenomenon and applying appropriate coping strategies can help players maintain a healthy balance between risk and reward at the poker table. In this article, we will look at the causes, symptoms, and ways to overcome financial dysmorphia.

Let's consider the main causes of financial dysmorphia found in modern society. 

Many psychologists believe that childhood traumas, such as financial difficulties in the family, can cause financial dysmorphia in adulthood. The experience of financial distress as a child can form a negative attitude towards money and raise concerns about financial security.

Society often associates success with material well-being, which can lead to the desire to have a lot of money and expensive things. Pressure from others to achieve a certain level of income or lifestyle can exacerbate financial dysmorphia.

Uncertainty in the future can cause financial anxiety, especially if a person is worried about their financial security. This fear can lead to avoiding any financial risks and excessive conservatism in money management. One of the features of poker is its high degree of dispersion. This means that even when making optimal decisions in the short term, you can face adverse outcomes due to random factors, such as luck or failure in specific hands. This uncertainty can cause players to feel insecure about their abilities and begin to avoid financial risks. 

The difficulty in planning financial expenses is also exacerbated in the conditions of playing poker. Revenue uncertainty caused by variance in the game makes revenue forecasting unpredictable. This complicates the planning of large financial expenditures, purchases or investments, since the player cannot be sure of his financial situation in the future. Thus, the fear of the unknown plays a significant role in the behavior of poker players. It can lead to the avoidance of financial risks and excessive conservatism in money management, which in turn can affect the performance of the game.

Now that we have learned about the causes of financial dysmorphia, let's look at the signs, symptoms that are characteristic of this condition. 

A person may be afraid to spend money even on necessary things, believing that this will lead to the loss of accumulated funds. This fear can lead to refusing the right purchases and limiting yourself to joyful or even vital expenses.

A person seeks to accumulate as much money as possible, while not enjoying the increase in his capital. Obsession with accumulation can lead to excessive accumulation of funds and refusal of pleasures for one's own encouragement.

A person may make impulsive purchases or take out loans to meet their needs and then feel ashamed of their actions. Compulsive spending can lead to debt accumulation and further financial dysmorphia.

Financial dysmorphia can lead to constant stress, poorer physical and mental health, and reduced quality of life. Constant worrying about money can have a negative impact on relationships, work, and overall well-being.

Having considered the causes of financial dysmorphia and identified the symptoms of this condition, let's move on to methods and techniques that will help us avoid the occurrence of this “disease”, or get rid of it and its possible consequences. How to deal with financial dysmorphia? 

Learning the basics of managing your finances plays an important role not only in everyday life, but also in the context of playing poker. Financial literacy helps players understand how to properly manage their funds, which is especially important in conditions of a high degree of uncertainty and variance characteristic of poker. Mastering the principles of money management allows players to overcome fear and uncertainty in financial decisions, which, in turn, contributes to a more effective and confident game. To be less dependent on the results in poker and to ensure a more stable financial position, players should create several sources of inflow of money.

This means that in addition to income from playing poker, players can develop other sources of income or invest their funds in various assets.

  • For example, they may invest in financial markets, set up their own business, or develop skills that can generate additional income outside the game of poker. Conduct poker streams, blog, or learn how to work remotely.

The creation of additional sources of income helps to reduce financial risk and ensure a more stable financial position as a whole. This allows players not to feel so heavily dependent on the results in poker and to be more relaxed about possible fluctuations in income from the game. Thus, pumping financial literacy and creating multiple sources of money inflows play an important role in ensuring the financial stability and confidence of players in poker. These skills help cope with the stress and uncertainty associated with the game and ensure a more sustainable and successful financial future.

Comparing yourself to other people can increase feelings of anxiety and envy, so it's important to focus on your progress and achievements. In the world of poker, there are many successful players whose achievements may seem impressive and even unattainable for beginners or those who have just started their journey in this game. However, focusing on the achievements of other players can lead to feelings of insufficiency, envy, and even loss of motivation. It is important to understand that each poker player has their own unique history of success and development. We cannot control or know all the difficulties, obstacles overcome and lessons learned in the way of each player. 

Instead of comparing yourself to others, you need to focus on your own progress and development in poker. Moreover, the rejection of comparisons allows each player to take responsibility for their actions and results. Instead of justifying his failures or shortcomings by comparing them with the successes of others, the player should actively work on his own improvement, developing skills, learning strategies and analyzing his results. So, in the world of poker, as in life in general, avoiding comparisons is key to achieving personal financial stability and success. Remember that your path in poker is unique, and only you can create your own story of success and development.

Setting specific and achievable goals will help to avoid disappointments and increase self-confidence. Break big goals into smaller tasks and track your progress.

One way to manage your progress in poker is to keep a record of the tournaments played and the money spent. This allows you not only to assess the financial results of the game, but also to analyze your mistakes and progress in improving your skills. It is important to keep an eye on the performance in the poker tracker, which will help you see your strengths and weaknesses, as well as identify areas where you need to improve. In addition, setting goals for learning new materials is also an important step towards success in poker. 

Continuous learning and development of game skills help you adapt to a changing environment and improve your results. Set goals for yourself to learn new poker strategies, techniques and concepts, and follow these goals systematically. Thus, setting realistic financial goals in poker requires not only determining the desired results of the game, but also creating an action plan to achieve them. Keeping records of game activity and financial performance, as well as continuous training and development of game skills, help players succeed and confidently move forward towards achieving their goals in the poker world.

Maintaining a budget and analyzing your expenses will allow you to identify unnecessary expenses and optimize expenses. This will help you control your finances and avoid excesses.

Using automatic savings or regular transfers of part of the income to a savings account will help to form a habit of saving money. This makes the process of accumulation simpler and less susceptible to the influence of emotions. 

  • My example: I set in the banking application that an amount is automatically transferred every day, which does not greatly affect the standard of living, but helps to create a new habit of saving. I started with 30 rubles a day. 

Even small amounts, seemingly insignificant, can grow significantly in the long run due to the accumulation effect. In addition, starting with small amounts allows you to avoid a strong impact on the daily budget and gradually get used to regular deductions. It is important to note that this method also takes into account the psychological aspect of financial management. Consistent and regular contributions to the savings account form new habits and beliefs, encouraging disciplined behavior towards finances. 

This allows you to avoid emotional influence on financial decisions and stimulates rational, long-term planning. Thus, the use of automatic savings, starting with small amounts, allows you to create a habit of saving money without a significant impact on daily expenses. This approach helps to form financial discipline and effective management of own funds, which ultimately contributes to the achievement of financial stability and well-being.

It is important to find time to relax when playing poker, as tournaments can start at any time. Making a schedule of work and rest taking into account this fact becomes especially important. Observing the daily regimen helps players not only to manage their time more effectively, but also to maintain physical and mental health. This aspect is especially relevant for those players who do not live alone and have responsibilities to family or loved ones. It is important to find a balance between playing poker, work and time allocated for communication with relatives. Support and understanding from the family play an important role in maintaining the player's psychological balance.

Regular breaks and mental health care also play a key role in overcoming financial dysmorphia. 

Playing poker can be stressful and cause emotional fluctuations, so it's important to find ways to relax and recover. This may include exercising, meditating, reading books, or simply spending time with family and friends. Thus, finding a balance between work, leisure and personal relationships plays a key role in maintaining the physical and mental health of a poker player. Making a schedule of work and rest, paying attention to family and loved ones, and taking care of your own mental health help to reduce stress levels and improve overall well-being, which ultimately contributes to a more successful and productive game of poker.

Financial dysmorphia is a serious condition that can negatively affect a person's life. However, understanding the problem and applying effective coping strategies can help overcome it. Feel free to seek help from professionals such as psychologists or financial advisors if you are facing financial dysmorphia. Together with the efforts and support of others, you will be able to achieve financial well-being and emotional comfort.

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