6 Tips To Manage Emotions When Trying To Save Money
Saving is much more than knowing how to handle numbers and detecting from a rational point of view which expenses are necessary and which are not. And when it comes to money, it is clear that there is a long journey from intentions to actions, a process that is not always easy to face if we do not know how to properly manage our emotions.
Therefore, in this article you will find a summary of the most effective tips to manage your emotions when trying to save money so that you establish a healthy relationship with your lifestyle and your future financial plans.
It is often said that money is just a social construct: a number in the bank account, which is also based on the invention of the idea that having more numbers is better than having fewer.
This is, in part, true. Technically, if we have our basic needs covered, there comes a point where having more money saved does not mean that we are happier or live better, it all depends on our preferences. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that although money is based on a great agreement at the social level that gives value to coins, bills and large numbers in the bank, that does not mean that we do not have a clear tendency to link a good part of our emotions to monetary issues That money does not grow on trees or flow through rivers does not mean that it is not something very real, something nuclear in the daily lives of millions of people: in their habits, their future plans, their philosophy of life, etc
Therefore, knowing how to properly manage our emotions is essential to knowing how to save money and do it efficiently, since, As human beings, we are not simple computer programs or robots that manage figures Impulsivity and self-deception are very relevant aspects when it comes to explaining how people behave in relation to their money, especially in a society as consumerist as ours, in which marketing strategies have been in circulation for decades. and very effective advertising.
So, let’s look at some tips to properly manage your emotions when trying to save money on a monthly or weekly basis.
1. Make sure you have not developed a disorder associated with impulsivity
If you notice that you have problems trying not to spend too much money, it is advisable that you first consider whether the degree to which this affects you is so high as to suggest the existence of a psychological disorder. The advice that we will see here is for those who simply have problems saving due to less than optimal management of their emotions, not for situations in which they reach the extreme of needing therapy due to an alteration in mental health (if the latter occurs, everything involves following the therapist’s instructions).
By pure statistics, Most likely, you do not suffer from psychopathology associated with impulsivity, but it never hurts to take precautions And, if you have doubts, go to a mental health professional to talk about your case and, if necessary, make a diagnosis. Keep in mind that there are three psychological disorders especially associated with excessive spending: pathological gambling (i.e., gambling addiction, also known as gambling addiction), oniomania, and bipolar disorder type I in its mania phase. . But if you just have suspicions, don’t worry or assume that you have one of these disorders; It will be the clinical psychologist or psychiatrist who treats you and observes your case in a personalized manner who will best clarify the root of your problem, or rule out the possibility that you have developed an affectation of this kind.
It seems like an unimportant detail, but in reality, it has been proven that people who go hungry to stores where a wide variety of groceries are displayed tend to spend significantly more money on average And in fact, there are also studies that suggest that this does not only happen with establishments where food is mainly sold. Therefore, it is advisable that you have eaten shortly before going out shopping.
3. Write down your excuses for self-deception in a personal diary
Another of the most useful tips for managing your emotions when saving money is to learn to quickly identify the recurring thoughts that come to mind in the form of self-deception and predispose you to buy things you don’t really need. For example: “it is a luxury product, but also an investment”, “buying this is investing in my happiness”, or “if I buy it now I will save in the long term”. Clearly, the context says a lot about whether each of these thoughts is a form of self-deception, but in general, you should remember that If you have decided to save in the first place, it is because your priority is to create a “cushion” of money as soon as possible and that it is not the time to invest or buy goods that you do not normally buy.
4. Establish a schedule for your day to day
Nowadays, it has been observed that many people turn to online shopping as a kind of hobby at times when they do not know how to use their free time. Therefore, it is advisable that you have your weekly schedule well defined, and that you also describe in advance what you will dedicate your moments of leisure and rest to. In this way you will reduce the risk of feeling like you are wasting your free time unless you do something quickly with it, such as buying things online which unfortunately is a fairly common dynamic.
5. Inform others about your intention to save
Managing emotions is not always a purely introspective process, that is, a task based on being alone with our thoughts and learning to “tame” them. Sometimes it also involves making changes to our physical environment, including the behavior of those around us. Therefore, if you inform your friends and family that you have considered saving, You will expose yourself to fewer situations in which others “tempt” you to make unnecessary purchases.
It is important that you have some control of your money, but this It should be realistic and tailored to your lifestyle and income level If you are too demanding in terms of the restrictions you must impose on yourself, you will become frustrated and end up completely forgetting about the goal of saving, or you will even resort to impulsive purchases as a form of self-sabotage in the face of the anxiety that this situation causes you.
6. If you have developed an addiction, focus on overcoming it
Addictions such as smoking are very normalized, but not only do they greatly damage the health of smokers, but they also generate significant expenses that accumulate discreetly week by week and end up generating large expense figures in retrospect.
Psychological assistance can help you save
As we have seen, the challenge of saving week by week and month by month is not only a process linked to intellect and our ability to handle numbers; It is, above all, a challenge of emotional management. That is why, even if you have not developed psychopathology related to mood or anxiety but notice that you have a lot to improve in the modulation of emotions, It may be a good idea to see a psychologist A psychology professional can design a development plan for this type of skills linked to Emotional Intelligence, so that you can incorporate routines into your daily life that allow you to work on and enhance it.
In this sense, if you are interested in having professional psychological assistance, I invite you to contact me.
My name is Thomas Saint Cecilia and I am a psychologist specialized in the cognitive-behavioral model; I attend in person and online by video call.
