Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin - Practice Gratitude— You'll Be Grateful You Did

Episode Date: November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving, Money Rehabbers! Today Nicole talks about the importance of gratitude for your mental—and financial— health. Wondering what Nicole is grateful for this year? We’ll give you a hint: it starts with “Y” and ends with a “O-U!” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Well, it doesn't. Charge for wasting our time. I will take a check. Like an old school check. You recognize her from anchoring on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg. The only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. Nicole Lappin. Today is Thanksgiving.

To get real for a second, I know this holiday is tied up with colonialism and all the darkness that comes with it. And that's a history we're grappling with. That's something I can't ignore, and I'm sure you feel the same way. However, I do appreciate the day for how we celebrate it culturally now. It's a day where we give thanks, where we reflect on our lives, where we have a special lens to magnify the things we're grateful for. I love this exercise because I know firsthand it is so good for your brain.

Neuroscientists have found that practicing gratitude makes your brain happy by boosting dopamine and serotonin levels and creating positive feedback loops. The pathways in your brain that release these happy chemicals are like muscles. The more you use them, the stronger they get. So by practicing gratitude, you're making the mechanism in your brain that's responsible for your happiness more powerful. In recent weeks, I've been sharing a handful of stories about my own recovery with a personal burnout. I share these stories because not enough financial experts talk about the way your mental health affects your financial health.

I know this because I've lived it. Working myself to a breaking point took a major toll on my mental and financial health. And even though I'm exceptional, I know, thank you very much, my story isn't. Burnout costs upward of $190 billion every year in healthcare costs. of $190 billion every year in healthcare costs. Not to mention the cost associated with needing to miss work because you're working yourself until you're sick. Money and mental health are two taboo topics. I'd argue some of the last taboo topics. But both topics should be center stage, and we should be able to talk about both without shame. So, as usual, I'll go first. I mentioned in previous episodes that mindfulness was an important part of my recovery from this breakdown. An important piece of my mindfulness practice that I still do each and every day,

well, as much as I possibly can, I'm not perfect, is gratitude journaling. Even if you feel like you have nothing to be grateful for, the act of just searching for something to be grateful for can have positive effects. Don't overthink it. It's not some elaborate gratitude ceremony. It just takes five minutes to practice gratitude twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. It's such a small time commitment that it doesn't feel like a big item on my to-do list that's hanging over my head. So in honor of today, why don't you give it a try? In the morning, I fill in the following five prompts while I'm drinking my coffee. Number one, I start by writing three things I'm grateful for that day.

Today I wrote, I'm grateful for the smell of coffee with delicious fresh almond milk, my orchid that is still kicking, big news, and a fluffy comforter and clean sheets. Number two, next I write three things I'm excited about on a given day. Today I wrote, going to a boxing class. It is both physical and mental health, by the way. Recording Money Rehab, the best podcast in the whole wide world, of course, and taking Penny on a walk. Number three, I write down the names of three people I'm grateful for. Today, I wrote down my fertility doctor, Dr. Meredith Brower, my agent, Jared Greenwald, and my social media and website wizardress,

Sabrina Anderson. Number four. Then I write down one mantra I want to remember today. Since my book, Becoming Superwoman, came out, my mantra has been, I am a work in progress and a masterpiece at the same time. Number five. The last thing I write down is one thing I want to do to be of service that day. If you decide to do this, you should feel free to interpret this however you want. You just have to be doing something for or serving someone else. Today, I wrote down that I will call my friend Christy because she needs a little extra TLC after a breakup. For the nighttime entry, I wrote down that I will call my friend Christy because she needs a little extra TLC after a breakup. For the nighttime entry, I simply write three things I'm grateful

for that happened that day. For these prompts, try to think of specific moments or actions so you don't end up repeating answers like my family every day. So instead of writing down that you're grateful for your daughter, you know, of course you're grateful for your daughter, you know, of course, you're grateful for your daughter, but perhaps you write down, I am grateful for the hug my daughter gave me when she got home from school. Not only does the nuance help you stick to the practice, but it helps you notice, be present for, and savor positive moments throughout your day. And by the way, here's another science fun fact for you. Positive memories form only if you're present in that emotion of them for 10 to 15 seconds. At the end of the day, life can be a bed of roses. If you think about what a rose really is, a blossom,

thorns, and a bud. After I do my gratitude entry for the night, I like to think about my rose. What was the blossom or the best part of my day? What was the thorn or the worst part of my day? And what was the bud or the thing I'm most looking forward to seeing bloom in the future? These don't have to be big things. I might decide that my blossom was that I nailed my morning workout, my thorn was that I spilled my coffee in the elevator, and my bud might be getting a good night's sleep. But the metaphor provides a nice moment of reflection on the small wins and losses that are inherent in each and every day. I like to do this after taking a trip or wrapping up a big project too. What were the best parts which I can celebrate and try to

replicate in the future? What were the worst parts which I can learn from and try to avoid? And what are the things I'm most looking forward to to keep me moving, well, forward? After all, building a life you love means not just being grateful for where you are, but identifying what needs to change and looking ahead to where you're going. You can use this template or make your own or pick up the Super Woman Journal shameless plug, which has prompts similar to this one to help you feel more balanced on the regular. You can buy yourself a fancy journal for your gratitude entries, or you can write them on a sticky note, or you could write them with chapstick on your bathroom mirror for all I care. Do it however you want to do it, just as long as you do it. You'll be grateful you did. And there you go, your first entry. At the end of all Money

Rehab episodes, I give you a tip that you can take straight to the bank. Today, I just want to use the end of this episode to tell you how grateful I am for you, for listening, for engaging, for coming on the show, for sending me your stories, for using this show as a resource to get your financial life together. I have been wanting to do a daily financial advice show for a long time, and I had to deal with that voice inside my head who doubted that I could carry a show five days a week. Thank you, truly, for proving that little voice inside my head wrong. So I just want to tell you from the bottom of my heart that I am grateful for you. I am grateful for our amazing team, Morgan Lavoie and Mike Coscarelli, and our mascot, who is sometimes annoying as hell, Penny. I can speak for all of us, I'm sure, to say I am so grateful for your time, your stories, and for taking us on your financial journey.

Money Rehab is a production of iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Our producers are Morgan Lavoie and Mike Coscarelli. Executive producers are Nikki Etor and Will Pearson. Our mascots are Penny and Mimsy. Huge thanks to OG Money Rehab team Michelle Lanz for her development work, Catherine Law for her production and writing magic, and Brandon Dickert for his editing, engineering, and sound design. And as always, thanks to you for finally investing in yourself so that you can get it together and get it all.