Money elicits an emotionally charged response when we don’t really understand what it is or how to use it. You might even experience a physical reaction when you consider money – a tightness in your stomach, clenched jaw and stress in your shoulders are common reactions. People are afraid of:
judgement from others about the amount of money you have and what it might mean about you (greedy, selfish, frugal, generous are examples).
judgement from others about the amount of debt you have (reckless, risk-taker, thoughtful are examples).
judgement from others about what you purchase (expensive clothes, cheap haircut, flashy car are examples).
Or, you might be afraid of how you judge yourself based on how you feel about your past money decisions. Fear usually leads to deeper feelings of shame and embarrassment, which prevents us from being honest about money (who wants to feel shame?!). For example, you feel embarrassed by the credit card debt you accrued during college, so you don’t share this information with your partner. When you make money mean something about you as a person, fear makes sense.
It is possible to experience a peaceful relationship with money when you realize it is simply a social construct designed for the exchange of goods and services. That’s it. Any other beliefs about money and what it can do for you or what it means about you are just thoughts. Your thoughts come from your life experience, which makes them feel very real and maybe even obvious. But – your thoughts are not facts and there are many ways to think about money. How would your relationship with money change if you believed the following:
Money is a resource
Money doesn’t create happiness or unhappiness
I create money easily
I enjoy using money
Money serves me
I’d love to explore this concept with you! Book a free Discovery Session with me!