Why money is scary

Not knowing where your money is going (or what kind of trouble it gets up to when it arrives) is like having a monster under your bed. It’s scary because you don’t know what to be scared about; you feel out of control, allowing your imagination to run wild with fright.

In your head

This is what you’ll find under your bed.

Under your bed

Your money just needs some attention (and a cookie)

This monster under the bed could be anything. Does it have scales? Is it an angry ghost? Does it eat people? Does it suck you into a different dimension? Is it what’s stealing socks from the dryer? You lay in bed, wide awake, coming up with all the terrible attributes of this creature that you know for a fact is lying in wait under your bed.

As an adult not understanding your finances will have the same effect on you as you attempt to drift off to sleep. Do I have enough in my checking to cover the rent? Why is the credit card bill always so high? Where does my paycheck go? I make more money than I ever have, why do I still not have enough money?

Chances are, once you do examine your finances, the literal version of figuratively shining a light under the bed, you’ll realize the monster isn’t as scary as you thought and/or it is scary, but now you know exactly how to take care of it. Werewolf - silver. Vampire - stake through the heart. Whitewalker - Valyrian steel sword or obsidian. Pennywise from IT...just move. That clown is scary AF.

This is all very reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 4’s Halloween episode, “Fear Itself”. The gang gets caught in a real-life house of horrors, they are split up, psychologically tormented, and finally, when the demon, Gachnar, who has been torturing them that evening finally rises forth from the bowls of hell, they find the only thing to fear is fear itself:

In sum, I know it’s scary. It can often also be stressful, anxiety-producing, or fills you with shame - not emotions that engender great enthusiasm for the task. But don’t let fear win. Shine that light under the bed. You’ll learn there wasn’t anything to be scared of and/or you’ll learn where your next steps are to get you to control your finances. Either way, you win.

Cheers,

Ms. Moody

Images free to reproduce from Pixabay