How to Stop Worrying About Money (Part 2)

In last week's blog, I revealed the first two steps in my comprehensive approach for?how to stop worrying about money.?In case you missed it... Step 1 is facing your financial facts and getting organized. Step 2 is shifting your money self-talk from negative to positive.

Ready for steps 3 and 4??Here they are:

Step 3 - Employ the Dynamic Duo of Worry-Busters

Tap into the “dynamic duo” of money worry busters:?gratitude and generosity.?We all have things to be grateful for: a warm bed, a roof over our heads, family and friends who love us, running water, and a hot meal.

I recommend writing down three things every day that you’re grateful for. It’s a great way to focus on the positive and put the negative into perspective.

One of the best ways to stop worry in its tracks is to put your focus on helping someone else.?I remember being depressed about moving back into my dad’s spare bedroom after hitting financial rock bottom.?“I’m homeless!”?I wailed. (A bit dramatic, I know!)

My dad patiently reminded me that living in his spare bedroom in suburbia for a few months was?very different?from actually being homeless and out on the streets. He suggested I take a tour of a homeless shelter and start volunteering or donating a small amount of money to the cause monthly.

When you give your time, talents, and yes, money, it shifts your focus outward, away from your worries and toward true abundance.?Generosity and gratitude compound your positive emotions.?You’ll be pleasantly surprised how they boomerang back more abundance into your life and finances!

Step 4 - Baby Step Your Way to Success

Creating awareness and positivity about your money is only half the battle against worry.?You have to take action to?start moving in the right direction!

When I first start working with my Financial Dignity? Coaching clients, I can immediately see 19 actions they can take to improve their money situation. However, if I gave them all 19 to-do items after the first session, they’d be overwhelmed, feel paralyzed, and I might never see them again.

So, I only give them two or three things to work on over a two-week period.?“That’s it? Okay, we can do that!”?By the end of six months, we’ll get to all 19 things. But it’s best to break things down into baby steps to?make forward progress feel easy for you.

What’s the one area of your personal finances that’s causing you the most worry right now??What are three things you can do over the next week or two to make progress?

Let’s say you’re worried because you have no money in savings.?Here are three simple things you can do to improve the situation.

1) Open a savings account. You need someplace for the money to go!

2) Take all the spare change that’s accumulating around your house and in your car to the bank and deposit it into your new savings account.

3) Set up automatic transfers from your checking account to your savings account one or two days after payday for a set amount. Even if it’s just $10 or $20, get started!

There you have it, a step-by-step roadmap to finally stop worrying about money all time!?

Sure, you might have occasional bouts of financial worry when something major like a job loss happens. That’s normal.?What’s not normal (or healthy) is living under a constant burden of money worries.

P.S.?Need help with Step # 1, facing your financial facts??Organize and streamline your finances with the?Financial Tidy Up Bundle.?(Tiny price: only $22!)?Take a look and see if it's for you.