“How are you?” is a typical question that we normally think nothing of as we answer it. Giving the current circumstances of uncertainty, now when you’re asked this question, a feeling of overwhelm may take over. You’re automatic response of “Great!” or “I’m good” doesn’t feel so natural anymore.

Instead, you work through the challenge of trying to process the response in a word or even a sentence that feels more genuine. The way you feel now really can be described as a plethora of emotions all at the same time. And you’re not alone in those feelings.

When we’re overwhelmed with negative emotions, avoidance can quickly make its way to the surface as a way to supress the confusion of our mixed emotions. Adding even more complexity to the way we feel is the way we’re currently feeling about our finances. Things are unknown, uncertain, and changing very quickly.

When it comes to our finances, avoidance can appear in many different ways, including depreciating the way you feel and giving away your power to someone else. Being connected, but not limited, is a skill that helps us make sense of our feelings around money and finances, especially in a time of stress.

Let’s take some time here to focus on the way you feel and the decision-making process as a basis to the concept of connected, but not limited.

The Way You Feel Matters

When we talk about feelings and money, in many ways throughout our lives we’ve been taught that these two things don’t mix. For many of us, the association of emotions being involved in the financial decision-making process is negative because of the imbedded connection to the idea of making an “emotional decision.” But how can you make the right decision for yourself if you’re not connected to the way that you feel?

Emotions are one of the beautiful attributes that make you who you are. No one can feel for you — that’s yours and yours along. So, if emotions make you more of you, then suppressing them takes away from who you are.

The key is shifting our emotions around money from a perceived liability or detriment to an asset. That change comes through the way we work through our feelings. In many ways, this is the missing piece causing a disconnect with our finances.

The Decision-making Process

The result of believing that emotions and money are a negative combination is that we then avoid or suppress the way we feel, without giving ourselves the grace of understanding. Some ways this avoidance appears is when we simply give our power away to someone else to make a decision for us (like a spouse or financial professional), make a rash decision to “get it over with,” or avoiding making a decision altogether.

Being connected to the way you feel, but not being limit by those feelings, is a learned skill that ignites your power of choice. In this process, you’re embracing your feelings with a judgement-free sense of understanding and through that choosing what serves you and releasing what does not.

It’s here that you’re giving yourself the grace of understanding with the commitment to move forward. It’s with grace that you’re connected and it’s with commitment that you’re not limited as you refocus your gaze on what you want. From here we continue to build on meaningful Financial EmPOWERment that is truly yours!