In a busy modern world it can be easy to get un-hinged when you have money worries. Overwhelm is one of the most common feelings women experience when dealing with money matters.
It is worth remembering that stress won’t make it any better. And that remaining calm is the best way forward. When we feel anxious, our breathing can quicken so returning to our breath allows your body to take over rather than your mind which is trapped in worst case scenarios and monkey chatter.
Box Breathing Technique
Firstly, take a seated position with feet flat on the floor, back straight, in a dignified manner. Take a deep, slow breath. Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for 4 and exhale for a count of 4, pursing your lips slightly, keeping your jaw relaxed and hold again for a count of 4. Lower and rest your eyelids if you are able. Try and do this for 5 minutes to get yourself back in the now.
Stepping out of your monkey mind is like pressing a pause button to your internal chatter. It takes your primal brain out of the driver’s seat.
The SEAL team practice this “box” breathing technique as it triggers a relaxation response in the brain.
Panic causes our breathing to become shallow and our heart rates to speed up, creating a flight, fight, freeze or fawn response. This breathing does the opposite and allows us to remain calm and productive.
Practice this daily to help instil natural, deep breathing. Good breathing is essential to healthy living – as the saying goes “health is wealth”.
Accept what is (while not accepting it) – Our realities are shaped by our thoughts and feelings. Notice your current reaction when thinking about a particular financial stress. What emotions are attached to which thoughts, etc…As Ana Forrest suggests in her book “Fierce Medicine” stalk your inner thoughts and emotions. Thoughts and emotions are not facts so step into curiosity – what triggers this thought and emotion?
Also, notice when the emotions are not your own but others possibly taken on by you or given to you.
Explore what unmet expectations are popping up. A common one is “this should not be happening to me!” or a variation. Most conflict arises when we have an expectation around an outcome yet something else happens. Mindfulness and accepting what is occurring without expressing judgement enables you to tap into logic to explain why this is happening or, also lets you see that other more positive elements of this outcome which could occupy your thoughts instead while you decide your next step.
What other reaction can you access? The fact is that Stress will not make your financial situation better so choosing another reaction that is more productive and healthy is within your control!
Who do you need to be to naturally handle what’s going on in your life with peace & calm (and an absence of overwhelm)?
Law of Resonance (or attraction) is a universal, energetic law (such as gravity) in which our thoughts and emotions create a frequency, like a radio wave. And this vibrational wave attracts similar frequencies, such as experiences, people, things or opportunities, into our daily reality. – Rachel Horton W
Having a ritual to process overwhelm will start to build immunity to it. You will still feel overwhelm but you will now be able to deal with it productively.
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