Spit-up On My Shoulder

One of the most stressful parts of becoming a parent is the financial strain it puts on a family. We’ve talked here before about ways to cut back on baby expenses, but, if you’re like me, you may be one of those people who can obsess about money concerns.

It seems that in most couples there is one partner who is a financial worrier and one partner who trusts that everything will be okay. Obviously, I’m the $ worrier in my marriage. This has cost me time and energy spent doubting that our financial decisions were the right ones. Wasted hours when I could have been making some money!

The times I was most anxious about our finances were after each of my daughters’ births, and also times when I’ve decided to change my work arrangements. As a new mom, you may be facing both situations right now.

I’ve decided, after teaching math part-time at a community college for 2 years, that I’m going to take a break next semester. I want to focus more on my writing, public speaking, volunteering, and homemaking (I’ve had a major domestic urge kick in that I can’t ignore.) Even when I teach part-time, I find it leaves little time for me to pursue other passions. You teachers out there know what I’m talking about.

Am I nervous about the drop in our income? Sure. One of the best resources I’ve found for these times is the book Real Prosperity: Using the Power of Intuition to Create Financial and Spiritual Abundance by Lynn Robinson, an intuition expert. Robinson’s book is a great comfort when you are dealing with (real or imagined) financial stress.

Here is one of my favorite passages from Real Prosperity:

Shift your thinking. Analyze the pattern of your worrying. You may begin to see a theme emerge. Perhaps you’ll recognize a deeply held belief that you’re “not lucky” or that you’ll always be poor. Begin to examine those thoughts. How could you shift those opinions so that they’re more positive? … Replace the chronic worry thoughts with ones that create a more peaceful mindset. When you find yourself beginning to worry, try one of these phrases instead:

• “Things have a way of working out.”
• “Most of the things I worry about never happen anyway.”
• “I’ll get through this tough time.”

What are the expressions that make you feel better? One positive thought at a time can gradually shift the balance of your thinking from depressing to encouraging. Write down your positive thoughts and put them in a prominent location.

To learn more about Lynn and tapping into your intuition, go here. And I’ll do my best to not worry about money next fall.