Less than a year ago, I worked 50+ hour weeks, commuted 45-55 minutes each way, volunteered on a board of a nonprofit organization (and became the vice-chair), was part of a book club, started a blog, tried to exercise regularly and cook healthy meals, and invested time in building relationships with family and friends. I felt constantly frazzled.
The last six months have been the most challenging in my life as I have dealt with severe anxiety. While this situation was extremely challenging for me, I can now look back and realize that this was also a tremendous period of personal growth. I learned a lot and made significant life changes that I will carry forward with me for the rest of my life. I hope my story can serve as an inspiration and provide advice or hope for anyone experiencing something similar.
Until about a year ago, I had ZERO interest in understanding or being involved in our finances. I call myself a feminist, but I was more than happy to let Corey completely run our finances. I have had a complicated relationship with money. I felt guilty about having money, so I preferred to keep it out of sight and out of mind. It’s no surprise that Corey and I were not on the same page in regards to our finances for the first 9 years of our marriage. Here’s what we did to change that.
Over the last several months, as I’ve overcome my most recent major depressive episode, I’ve come to understand the early warning indicators that you should consider finding a new job. If you are experiencing any these things, listen to yourself. Understand that the emotions are telling you it’s time to get out.
I used to spend money without even thinking about it. When I was introduced to Financial Independence, I started to think about money in a different way. The concept that completely shifted my paradigm was that instead of using your money to buy stuff, you can use your money to buy back your time. This mindset shift changed everything for me.
