Money Anxiety
Money anxiety sucks. It can show up at any time and shows no mercy. Money anxiety shows up when it is time to look at the checking account balance online. It can show up with an opened bill from a creditor or it can come from news of an unexpected expense. The fear is real and while there are useful purposes of fear, there also can be an over exaggerated fear that prohibits one from being free.
Being free is a state of mind. When I face the reality of my money, it removes money clutter in my brain. Sometimes I can catch myself doing math in my head instead of allowing other positive things to flow. Brain clutter sucks the creative space intended to reside. Creativity can’t come forth if clutter is in the way. If too much clutter is in there, money worries starts to set in. I start to worry about the timing of bills being due, whether there is enough money in my checking account, if the dreaded bill is higher than expected, spent too much this past week and the list goes on and on.
By avoiding my money and letting the mental clutter accumulate, I allow the proverbial monster in the closet to grow and grow. The monster in the closet represents my money anxiety. As I lay asleep at night, I pull the covers over my head thinking the monster will go away but instead, it gets scarier and scarier as time goes on.
Instead, I need to face the reality of my money situation. I may surprise myself to see the monster in the closet wasn’t as scary as I thought. In fact, it wasn’t a monster at all. It was a coat hanging in the closet and all I needed to do was to turn the light on.
Turning the light on with our money means to:
Prepare a money plan for the month ahead
Track spending to money plan
Get cash out for areas where I tend to overspend
Pay bills immediately after the income arrives
Spend time on tracking my Money In, Money Out, What You Own, What You Owe
Open all the mail
Organize my money space
When I stay on top of my money, the money worries lessen. Money deserves our attention. Take the time to lessen the money worry, and jump right in.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” —Nelson Mandela