So here’s a real thing that way more people experience than you probably think: form filling anxiety.
Filling out forms can be really intimidating for a lot of people. They see all the blanks and immediately get overwhelmed.
Their mind starts racing, worrying about every little detail.
What if there’s something I don’t know? What if I make a mistake and my entire life comes crashing down and the whole world explodes because I put the date in the wrong format?
It might sound silly, but it’s a serious thing.
Because sometimes that anxiety gets the better of people, and they never manage to fill out that form and never end up actually getting insured, or receiving that grant or bursary or tax credit, or opening that high-interest savings account or TFSA.
Form filling anxiety holds people back.
That’s why at Tallkirk Financial Group we put a lot of emphasis on making forms less intimidating. We do them digitally, so you can be guided directly to the next step. We pre-fill as many fields as we can. We break them down question by question whenever possible, so you never see a bunch of questions all at once. We do everything we can to make it simple and straightforward, and help you avoid that overwhelming, paralyzing, frozen feeling.
But beyond that, we also help coach people through the process.
Some tips that often help:
1. Take a few deep breaths. In through the nose, long exhale through the mouth.
2. Go line by line, step by step. What’s your first name? Easy one! Fill it in.
3. Remind yourself that the stakes aren’t actually that high and the world isn’t really going to end if you mess up. Worst case Ontario you might have to start over or correct the mistake later.
4. Think back to when you were in school. What was the easiest type of question? Fill in the blanks! That’s all a form is. They’re gimmes! Layups! Free marks!
5. If you do get stuck on some silly acronym or technical jargon, just ask for help. I often walk people through finishing filling out forms to answer little questions, make sure everything is accurate, and ease that last bit of anxiety.
6. And finally, don’t beat yourself for getting anxious about filling out a form. There’s no reason to feel stupid. It’s not just you. Lots of people are afraid of forms and struggle to ever get them filled out.
But failing to fill out a form should never be the reason your financial future suffers.