Talking Myself Down from the Financial Ledge

2026 has been one hell of a year, but if there is one area that has probably caused me the MOST stress, it’s my finances.

There is something about financial stress that can make one bad day feel like your entire life is falling apart.

A bill hits that I wasn’t prepared for and suddenly my brain goes from “Okay, I need to figure this out” to “Girl, you have completely fucked up your life.” 😂

And THAT is what I’ve been working on.

Not pretending my financial situation is better than it is. Not ignoring the decisions I made that helped get me here. But learning how to acknowledge the problem without completely tearing myself apart in the process.

Because beating myself up doesn't put money in my bank account.

So when I start spiraling about money, I've been trying to talk myself down:

I stop looking at the WHOLE mess. When I think about every bill, debt, expense, and financial goal at once, I immediately get overwhelmed. Instead, I ask myself, What needs my attention first?
I remind myself that broke is a situation, not an identity. Having financial problems doesn't mean I'm a failure. It means I have financial problems that need to be addressed.
I stop searching for the quickest escape. This has been a BIG one for me. When you're desperate for money, anything promising quick cash starts sounding real good. I'm learning that slow money is still money. I'd rather build something sustainable than keep chasing the next quick fix.
I let myself feel bad without staying there. Yes, there are decisions I wish I could go back and change. I can acknowledge that without replaying them every damn day. I can't budget yesterday's money. I can only make better decisions with what I have today.
I actually look at my finances. Avoiding my bank account because I'm scared of what I'm going to see doesn't magically add another zero. 😂 I've been learning to look at the numbers, make the uncomfortable phone calls, write things down, and figure out what I can realistically do.
I talk to God before I panic. I'm trying to stop treating prayer like the emergency button I press AFTER I've already lost my mind. Sometimes it's simply, “God, I don't know how I'm going to handle this. Give me wisdom and help me make the right decision.”

Probably the biggest thing I'm learning is that I can't shame myself into financial stability.

I need discipline.

I need consistency.

I need patience.

And unfortunately, those are the exact things I've struggled with. 😂

But I'm working on it.

I don't want to spend the rest of my 30s constantly putting out financial fires. I want savings. I want to pay down debt. I want to be able to enjoy my money without immediately thinking about what bill I should've paid instead. I want financial peace more than I want the temporary feeling of looking like I have it together.

So right now, I'm taking it one decision at a time.

One bill.

One paycheck.

One debt.

One better decision.

And instead of waiting until I have the cute success story with the perfect credit score, zero debt, and thousands sitting in savings, I'm going to document the messy part too.

I'm going to share the side hustles I'm trying, what's actually making me money, what isn't worth my time, and how I'm balancing making extra money with already having a full-time job and a whole life.

I also want to give y'all a more transparent look at my finances. The budgeting, paying off debt, rebuilding my credit, saving, financial setbacks, bad decisions, and those moments when I get completely off track and have to reel myself back in.

Basically, we're turning this into a little financial series.

Not “I paid off $100,000 in six months and here's how you can too.” 😂

More like, “Girl, here's what I got paid, here's where it went, here's what I messed up, here's what I paid off, and here's what we're doing differently next month.”

Because I know I can't be the only woman making decent money and still wondering where the hell all of it went.

So we're figuring it out together.

And when my mind tells me, “You're never going to get out of this,” I'm learning to answer back:

You got yourself here one decision at a time, and you can get yourself out the same way.

I'm just a woman who has some shit to fix.

And now, y'all get to watch me fix it. 🤎