How does money make you feel — stressed, anxious, happy, excited, or empowered? It is normal to feel all of these emotions and to jump from one to the other. Although we often associate money with spending, saving and planning for the future, money is more than just that. Money is also psychological! Our emotions and behaviours towards money today are deeply rooted in our childhood experiences and family influences.

The key to a healthy and positive money mindset is self-awareness. So the next time you find yourself in a negative space with money, follow these three steps:

Acknowledge and accept the facts. This is probably the hardest step. It requires us to stop avoiding and procrastinating and face our feelings head-on!
Practice gratitude. This is hands down THE quickest way to change your focus from negative to positive. While we all wish we had more money, think about what needs and wants your income meets instead of what you are lacking.
Flip the script. This is where we take action. Set some goals — big or small and make them happen! Without creating a monthly budget and looking through your bank transactions, you won’t really know where your finances are sitting. While this is definitely daunting, those feelings of anxiety and dread that come along with checking your bank account will eventually go away!