A Yogi's Guide to Addressing Financial Worries

Try these four tips for assessing and addressing your financial worries.

1. Be present in your decision-making.

When strong emotions arise, it’s important to be with the breath in the present moment. By letting go of your mind’s projections of future financial ruin, you can find the ground from which you can then make sound financial decisions.

2. Identify the worst-case scenario.

Ask your worrying mind to exaggerate its worst-case scenario. “I might lose my job!” What else? “I won’t be able to pay the mortgage.” Then imagine what you’d do. Not “I’d be a basket case,” but rather “I’d move in with my sister and get a temp job.” Be specific and realistic. Your life force is devoted to your survival and will call on resources to maintain it.

3. Get help.

If you don’t think you’re assessing the situation clearly, get some help from a trusted friend of a fee-only financial planner who can help you see the objective truth of your situation, unaffected by emotions.

4. Remember we are all one.

While you’re in the midst of worry, anxiety, or any negative emotional states, try this twist on a traditional lovingkindness (metta) meditation: “May I feel this fear for all the other who are worried and anxious right now, so that they don’t have to.” This takes you out of your self-concern and reminds you of your interconnectedness with all beings, which will create a profound sense of relief.

See alsoThe Yoga of Money: Take Wisdom from the Mat to Your Finances