Settle any money fight
Your approach with a spouse or any other family member should be “We are in this together.” It is not about blaming, or being angry, or fighting, or winning. You need to prepare, both psychologically and logistically. Put together an agenda in writing — what you want to discuss.
If you’re going to talk about a highly charged issue, do it in an environment that’s not associated with financial stress, a place of safety where you can find common ground. You can have a nice conversation in the park or at some impartial environment like an adviser’s office, if it is a comforting place.
— Lori Sackler, author of The M Word: The Money Talk Every Family Needs to Have About Wealth and Their Financial Future
Shed financial stres
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Money worries often trigger an obsessive-thought loop, sending your brain and body into fight-or-flight mode. In this state you can’t make good decisions.
So first break the physical response: Close your eyes and take a couple of slow, deep breaths. Next, break the mental response: Focus your attention on the sensations of breathing.
This process opens up the medial prefrontal cortex, the reflective, creative part of your brain that develops strategies to solve complex problems in a way that’s simply not possible if your body and brain are still trying to fight or flee. When the worry loop restarts — and it will — you can always come back to your breathing.
— Stephen Cope, director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living
Be healthier for free
Take the closest thing we have to a wonder drug: a walk. It reduces the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, depression, and many other ailments. Even if you never lose an ounce of weight, increasing activity is crucial to protecting your health.
— Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention