I was recently talking to someone about mental health, and I realised what a huge role financial wellbeing plays in our mental health.

We worry, fret and stress about money. We live pay-check to pay-check. We have loans and EMIs for which we NEED to go to work every day. We have children whose education and parenting is our responsibility. We have ageing parents who we want to take care of.

First thing we need to do is kind of destigmatise talking about money.

Talk to your partner about it first (if you haven’t already). Let them in on your worries. Talk to people you completely trust about this. Why? So that you create a safe-space around you and get more than just your perspective on the matter. There might be people in your circle who have similar stresses. Even if there is no new perspective, you know you are not alone. You will thrive.

Sharing your salary, your plans for the future with someone is a GOOD thing. Not a bad thing. It kind of brings you back to reality. You verbalise your dreams and hopes. You can actually assess how you can make your dream a possibility. Another upside is, it reduces stress, you’re actually doing okay 🙂

If you dont want to talk to anyone then hey! reach out to me – a stranger on the internet (svr@themoneywellnessstudio.com) I love hearing stories related to money, I will share with you what I did and maybe help you look at your situation from a different vantage point.

Secondly, take a big step back. You are all right. You have weathered enough shit by now, you can do this!

You need to become a little more self aware of what your expenses are. You might think you know, but you’ll only get a good picture once you put pen to paper. Use my categorization that I present in this article (Peeeeeking into spending habits).

Let’s start cushioning you with all the right pillows.

Pillow #1 – Build an Emergency Fund

Pillow #2 – hedge baby! – Term Insurance

Pillow #3 – Yes, its boring, but, its useful → Provident Funds!

Phew, got super cozy there. But thats the point. You want to be comfortable with your money and confident about your money. You need to be able to look at the eye of a shitstorm say – ‘I can take that on!’