Get Rid of Negative Thoughts About Money for Good

I started writing about personal finance to track my own progress, share my experiences, and inspire other women to get their finances under control. In the process, I realized that finances aren’t just numbers, budgeting, or investing—they’re a deeply emotional topic. One of the most common questions I get asked is, “How can I get rid of negative thoughts about money?”

Many women have deeply held beliefs about money that affect their financial confidence and their decisions. Perhaps you recognize this too?

Thoughts like “I’ll never have enough money” or “I’m bad with finances” keep creeping in.

These negative thoughts often lead to stress, anxiety, and a feeling of helplessness—making it difficult to actively work on your financial future.

But it doesn’t have to stay that way!

There is a way to free yourself and finally get rid of negative thoughts about money. In this article, you’ll learn a surprising method that really works—and can change your financial mindset forever.

The Biggest Mistake: Jumping Straight from Negative to Positive

It sounds simple: “Think positively about money!” Many financial experts recommend just that. But what’s often overlooked: Your brain doesn’t believe it.

You can’t simply get rid of negative thoughts about money by trying to think positively right away. Our thoughts can’t be completely changed from one moment to the next.

If you’re in debt and feel your financial situation is catastrophic, you can’t just say, “I’m financially free and successful!”—because deep down, you know it’s not true.

Maybe you’ve already tried positive affirmations: “Money flows effortlessly into my life!”

But if you don’t believe it inside, it often only leads to frustration and even more resistance.

Why Doesn’t It Work?

• Your mind recognizes the positive thought as unrealistic and rejects it.
• You feel compelled to think differently, which causes additional stress.
• Negative thoughts keep coming back because you don’t actually resolve them.

For example, if you’re stressed at work, it doesn’t help to immediately feel excited and passionate. That’s too big a leap.

But there’s a better way. Instead of forcing yourself to think positively, you can learn to let go of your negative thoughts about money step by step—in a way that really works: neutrality.

Effective Method: Shifting from Negative Thoughts to Neutrality

An exercise I learned and have used ever since whenever I want to get rid of negative thoughts about money is to shift to the next credible thought—also called a neutral thought.

This method helps me gain more clarity and also become emotionally neutral.

Instead of trying to immediately replace your negative thoughts with positive ones, first put yourself in a neutral state.

Neutrality means not judging your thoughts, but simply noticing them and letting them go. This relieves the internal pressure and allows you to change your financial mindset with more ease.

How Do You Get Into This Neutral State?

• Notice your thoughts without judging them. They are just sentences in your head.
• Focus on the present moment without considering the past or future.
• Allow yourself to simply be, without immediately seeking a solution.
• Ask yourself the question: “What if I simply let go of this thought?”

This state is similar to meditation—you observe your thoughts, but you don’t hold on to them.

Recognizing the True Source of Negative Emotions

A common misconception is the belief that our circumstances are the cause of negative feelings. But that’s not true.

The truth is: It’s not the situation itself, but your thoughts about it that determine how you feel. While external circumstances are neutral, you interpret them in a certain way—and depending on your mindset, positive or negative emotions arise.

If you want to get rid of negative thoughts about money, it’s important to stop blaming circumstances. Instead, you can learn to consciously observe your thoughts and recognize their influence on your feelings. This is where change begins.

Examples:

• “I wasn’t invited to the party.” → Disappointment doesn’t come from the situation, but from the thought: “I should have been there.”
• “My bank account is almost empty.” → Anxiety doesn’t come from the bank balance, but from the thought: “I’m going to fail financially.”
• “My colleague earns more than me.” → Frustration arises from the thought: “That’s unfair, I deserve it.”

Once you realize that your thoughts are the cause of your negative emotions, you can begin to let them go.

Why Neutrality Is the Key to Change

Negative thoughts persist because you fight them. Imagine you’re holding a rope at one end and someone else at the other. You’re pulling in opposite directions. The harder you pull (i.e., trying to force positive thoughts), the more resistance you experience.

But what happens if you simply let go of the rope? The resistance disappears.

In the same way, you can get rid of negative thoughts about money by no longer fighting them. Instead, allow yourself to view them neutrally. Accept that they’re there—but you don’t have to believe them anymore.

By thinking neutral thoughts, step by step, you slowly begin to detach yourself from the negativity.

Your brain doesn’t always tell you the truth—and you have a choice about which thoughts you believe.

The Solution:

• Let go of the rope. This means stop fighting your thoughts.
• Accept the current moment without immediately trying to change it. Observe your thoughts, but don’t identify with them.

The Result? The tension dissolves, and the negative thoughts disappear on their own.

Neutrality Is a Transition—Not the Final Goal

Neutrality helps you let go of pain, but it is not the final goal. Real growth occurs when you consciously decide which new thoughts you want to adopt.

That’s the real goal: to change your mindset and increase your financial confidence.

A neutral thought helps you detach from negative thoughts and recognize that you’ve been believing something that’s no longer true—because you’ve already neutralized it.

This allows you to get rid of negative thoughts about money and gradually build new beliefs. With each new thought, you create new neural pathways in your brain—similar to training for a marathon.

Step by step, you’ll get closer to your goal.

Two Aspects of Growth:

• Acceptance: Learn to be at peace with what is.
• Goal setting: Consciously define which financial beliefs you want to develop.

Don’t stay in neutrality permanently—use it as a springboard for new, healthy financial beliefs.

Getting Rid of Negative Thoughts About Money: The Simple Yet Powerful Way

Getting rid of negative thoughts about money is a topic that concerns many women. But don’t worry, with a little practice, you can do it. And this is not only important but a crucial step in building your financial confidence. You can achieve your financial goals if you believe in yourself.

One of the first steps: Getting rid of negative thoughts about money.

Here are the most important steps summarized again:

• The mistake of immediately wanting to think positively leads to resistance.
• Neutrality is key: Observe thoughts, but don’t judge them.
• Your thoughts, not the circumstances, cause your negative emotions.
• By “letting go of the rope,” negative thoughts resolve themselves.
• Neutrality is a transition—from there, you can choose new, empowering thoughts.

Reflection Question: What negative thoughts about money are you still holding onto—and are you ready to let them go?

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