3 in 4 Americans Feel Financial Stress. Here Are 3 Ways to Ease Your Mind

It's natural to experience financial stress from time to time, such as when you find out your car needs repairs or you get stuck with a sudden medical bill. But unfortunately, 74% of Americans say they're stressed about their personal finances these days. And 37% say they're "very stressed," according to a recent CNBC survey.

If you feel similarly, it's important to try to break that cycle. Here's how.

1. Know what your bills look like

Having a handle on your bills could help you maintain a more positive outlook on your finances. This doesn't mean you have to obsessively stick to a budget and track every single expense of yours. Rather, just take some time to audit your finances so you have a general sense of what you're spending every month.

You probably know how much you're paying in rent and what your car payments look like, since those are larger bills. But comb through recent bank and credit card statements to see what you're spending on expenses like groceries, utilities, and streaming services. You may decide that it's best to cut back on a few smaller bills, so you're less financially squeezed.

2. Build an emergency fund

The knowledge that you have money in the bank to tap in a pinch could help alleviate some of your financial stress. So from this point onward, make it a priority to build up an emergency fund.

Most financial experts will tell you to try to sock away enough money to cover three months of essential expenses at a minimum. But let's be real. If you have no savings right now, it will take a while to save that much. And that's OK.

Rather than set a large but daunting goal, set small ones. Tell yourself you're going to try to save $500 over the next six months. Or aim for $600 if that's doable. As you see your savings account balance slowly but surely tick upward, you might start to feel better about your financial picture.

3. Make a plan to pay off your credit cards

If you're carrying credit card debt, that alone could explain why you're feeling stressed out financially. Now you can't just snap your fingers and make that debt go away. And it might take a bit of time to get rid of that debt for good. But you might start to feel better about your finances if you at least come up with a plan to eliminate your debt.

Start by seeing how much you owe on your various cards, and how much interest each one is charging. Then, figure out how you'll attack that debt. You may decide that it's best to do a balance transfer to a new card with a 0% APR period, which may be an option if you have decent credit and can qualify.

Or, you may decide it's better to consolidate your debt into a personal loan that gives you the benefit of fixed monthly payments over a period of time. Simply knowing how you'll tackle your debt might give you peace of mind -- even if you know it's going to take a few years to dig out of that hole.

It's normal to feel stressed about your finances. But if those worries are impacting your overall quality of life, it's time for a self-imposed intervention. These moves could work wonders for your outlook, so aim to act on them as soon as possible.