Did you know that 79% percent of women surveyed listed money as a top stressor for them? That’s a lot of us women worrying about the same thing! I know from personal experience and from talking with clients and friends that we all have some form of anxiety or worry at money at some point in our lives. That’s why this month on The Stress-Less Show, we are going to be talking about all things money so that you can start to manage your money stress - instead of it managing you!
Since this month is all about money, I decided to bring my friend and money mindset expert Mala Dukhi of Wise Women Smart Money to share her tools for transforming the way we think about money and feeling more in control of the way we feel about our financial situation. She had so many great ideas for changing your money mindset and my favorite tip that she shared is an exercise you can do in order to start to understand what your beliefs around money are.
“I would suggest that you write a letter to money explaining how you feel. Money, I love you. Money, I hate you. Money, you are not around. Just write a letter as if money is your friend. Write it out. Don't think about it. Just [sit] for the next 10 minutes and write a letter.”
When I first wrote a letter to money, I instantly started to notice all of the negative beliefs that I had picked up in my life and from family as well. I believed that money had this sassy attitude and only showed up at the last minute when it wanted to. I also believed that I always had to work extremely hard in order to manifest money. Even if a revenue-generating task or project was easy, I would make it harder for myself just because I thought it couldn’t be easy.
Ideas and beliefs like these are often what trap us in a negative state of stress about money. Recognizing we have these beliefs is the first step in changing our money mindset. Once you have identified these beliefs, Mala’s next tip is to start reframing them.
“If you have the thought that money shows up at the last minute, you can work on reframing that thought and you could say, ‘Money shows up right when I need it.’... Or if you are having trouble reframing it, you can say, ‘I am open to money showing up for me when I need it.’”
According to Mala, taking one of the beliefs you have and focusing on reframing it for thirty days is a good way to changing your money mindset. Mala suggested writing your reframed belief in a journal regularly which will help you approach money from a place of gratitude rather than fear and try to stay in that state of gratitude throughout the day.
Falling out of gratitude does happen though, changing such strong negative beliefs is not something that just magically goes away one day. It takes practice to stay in that positive mindset. Mala suggestion for getting back to a place of gratitude is to understand the negative feelings that we notice arising.
“Write freestyle what you're stressed about and then you'll be able to pick up that it’s something that you're thinking that's creating the feeling and that's how you get back into alignment.”
Transforming your money mindset is a key step in relieving the stress you have around money. If you feel like you are really struggling to address those negative money beliefs, Mala is offering a complimentary 30-minute phone session with her to help you start to reframe your thoughts around money and find clarity in your financial situation.
You can email Mala at mala@wisewomensmartmoney.com in order to set up your conversation. Spots are limited and are available on a first come first serve basis!
Also, I have exciting news! You may have noticed if you watched this week’s Stress-Less Show that we are trying a new format where you get to watch me create an original piece of artwork while listening to our interviews. I am super excited about trying new things and would love your feedback on what you think, so leave a comment on YouTube!
If you liked the drawing I created, you can get a digital print and access to the full creation video which includes added commentary on my creative process by going to our brand new Patreon page and signing up to support our content! I cannot wait to create even more new Stress-Less content for you all!