Feeling Stressed About Money

I’ll be honest - I’ve been a little stressed about money over the last few weeks. My husband and I recently decided that daycare is not a good fit for our youngest child at this time (if you want to know alllll about the saga of a million childhood illnesses and nap drama hit reply to this email - I won’t bore those of you who aren’t interested). What that has meant is that I have spent a lot of time vetting potential nannies, becoming an ad-hoc scheduling pro, and attempting to balance work with unexpected childcare duties. 

Part of my stress is based on reality: I’ve worked less than normal (and therefore made less money than normal) and having a nanny costs more than daycare. Those are facts and shouldn’t be ignored! But, and this is actually more important in a lot of ways, part of my stress is based on personal money narratives that aren’t serving me: 

• I can always make work WORK. I am a go-getter. 

• I don’t need help to run a happy, safe, comfortable household. 

• I didn’t have babysitters or nannies growing up so I shouldn’t need that for my kids.

When I reframe to be more loving and accurate here’s what I get: 

• Work is part of my life, not my life.

• Everyone needs help. The world works better when we work together.

• Everyone’s experiences are different and what works for one family doesn’t necessarily work for another. 

None of these statements are money specific, but they’re the underlying beliefs and thought processes that impact my money values. We all have them and identifying yours can help you understand what is causing emotional responses to financial situations. For me and this specific situation, the real problem is not the money - we can handle the shift, but the problem is that I wasn’t fully emotionally ready for the change. That’s okay! Now that I know the issue I can move forward with more patience and kindness towards myself and my emotions. 

As always, I’m rooting for you. 

XOXO