Money Sense 201: Lesson 7 - The Emotion Loop: Anxiety → Avoidance → Problems → More Anxiety: The Emotion Loop: Anxiety → Avoidance → Problems → More Anxiety
Money anxiety makes people avoid dealing with money. Money doesn't need you to be brave every day. Just five minutes at a time.
The Emotion Loop: Breaking the Cycle
Money anxiety makes people avoid dealing with money. And avoidance makes everything worse. This is especially common in high-stress environments.
Money doesn't need you to be brave every day. Just five minutes at a time.
The Loop Looks Like This:
- Anxiety: "I'm scared to look at my balance."
- Avoidance: "I'll deal with it later."
- Problems Compound: Bills pile up. Fees add on. Stress intensifies.
- More Anxiety: "Now it's even worse. I can't face it."
- Repeat.
Why Avoidance Feels Safer
When you're anxious about money, avoidance feels like protection. Your brain says:
- "If I don't look, I don't have to feel bad."
- "If I don't think about it, it's not real yet."
- "I'll deal with it when I'm stronger."
But avoidance doesn't make the problem disappear. It makes it grow in the dark.
How to Break the Loop
1. Make it tiny. You don't need to solve everything. Just do one small thing. Open one email. Check one balance.
2. Limit your exposure. Set a timer for 5 minutes. That's all. When the timer goes off, you can stop.
3. Celebrate the courage. Even looking at your balance for 30 seconds counts as bravery. Acknowledge it.
Practice: The Five-Minute Courage Ritual
This is a daily micro habit that builds confidence:
Step 1: Set a timer for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Choose ONE tiny money task:
- Check your bank balance
- Open one bill
- Write down one expense from today
- Delete one junk finance email
- Transfer $1 to savings
Step 3: Do it. Just that one thing.
Step 4: When the timer goes off, stop. You're done.
Step 5: Say to yourself: "I showed up. That's what matters."
Why This Works
You're not trying to fix everything at once. You're training your brain that money interactions don't have to be terrifying. Five minutes of courage > Zero minutes of avoidance.
The Micro-Win
You faced money for 5 minutes. Tomorrow, you can do it again.
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