Mindful Money Matters – Rethinking Money this New Year

Have you ever tried to pick a weight that’s heavy for you? Do you remember how your hands start to quiver after just a few seconds? Now, remember how it feels to pick a weight from a place of steadiness, one where you’ve been trained and know exactly how to bend, how to grip, and how to lift. That steadiness and training make all the difference, don’t they? The same holds true for money matters.

Think about it. Managing money is hard for almost everyone. If you happen to be very familiar with money and finance, the sheer amount of information, knowledge, and expectation, often from yourself, can increase the weight each decision carries. If you’re at the other end and fear money, the weight is multiplied by the belief that failure is inevitable. And if you’re simply trying to gain control over money, it can feel like the first day at the gym every day. It’s hard work. What makes it harder is the denial of the weight it carries. What makes it easier is knowing that the ability to handle the weight can be learned.

The first step, of course, is acknowledging how the weight of money looks and feels for you. Take Noor. She earns well and has built a successful reputation for herself. Yet when the SMS alert from the bank arrives telling her that money has been credited, microseconds before the satisfaction, a familiar dread sets in. Why? Because her own history tells her she’s likely to splurge most of it within days, sometimes immediately. She doesn’t need to save; her mind knows that. She wants to save; her mind knows that too. But the impulsive part usually wins. She spends, gets the dopamine hit, and then comes the guilt and disappointment. What she’s unable to see is that what she really needs isn’t more knowledge or discipline, it’s simple control.

Now consider Alex. He’s been a banker for over two decades and loves money and numbers. Before every bonus cycle, he plans exactly where he’ll invest, and the moment the money comes in, it’s put away. You might expect quiet enjoyment, but that rarely follows. Instead, there’s a cascade of mental calculations: how this will grow, what next year might bring, and how that will grow. It’s as though the pressure must stay on, because that pressure itself is his dopamine hit. He knows he should take some money out for himself; to buy the car he wants or give his family something special. He also knows he wants to see the number rise, always. So, he invests, feels a momentary satisfaction, and then the pressure piles right back on, mind and body alike. Like Noor, what Alex really needs is simple control.

What does that look like? It looks like a few deep breaths and affirmations when the money is credited into an account. It looks like automated systems put in place before the money comes in, so decisions don’t have to be made every single time. It looks like creating room for pleasure without guilt. Like doing what was intended and planned and then enjoying what’s left over in whatever way works for them, whether that means splurging on a bag or taking a calculated risk on the latest investment option. It looks like acceptance of the way life is, the way minds work, and a warm hug to the person they are choosing to be.

This January, consider getting to know all the parts of you and accepting them, so you can create systems that help you engage with money matters more mindfully. This New Year, take a slow, deep breath. Settle your mind. Give yourself the warm hug you deserve and then get planning.

Originally written for and published in Bahrain This Month's January 2026 issue.