Money is one of the biggest stressors for most people in the developed world. Money worries can trigger couples to fight horribly and inspire people to commit terrible crimes. On a smaller scale, fear of lack cuts us off from living our dreams and doing what we really want to do with our lives. While there are no get-rich-quick schemes, here are a few ways to ease your money fears and enjoy life more.

1. Recognize Abundance

The first tip is to recognize the difference between money and abundance. People can have a lot of money and still be poor if they are unhappy, unhealthy, or slaves to the capitalistic system.

And people who dont have two extra pennies to rub together can be incredibly happy, if they are able to meet their basic needs and have love in their lives. It is all a matter of perspective.

To take a break from worrying about money, focus on what you do have. Make a list of all the abundant blessings in your life your health, your family, your home, the food you ate today, the positive experiences in your life, the sunlight, the rain, and so on. Keep going until you have listed every blessing in your life. You may surprised at the length of the list.

2. Focus on What You Want

Our words and thoughts powerfully affect our lives. If we get caught in negative loops about what we dont have and cant do, we are contributing to the perpetuation of these conditions in our lives.

Every time you hear yourself say I cant afford that or I cant do what I want because I do not have the money stop, take a deep breath, and refocus. The truth is that you are choosing to put your resources elsewhere. Maybe there is a way for you to do what you want for free (i.e. through a scholarly or arts grant or social support program) or maybe you could save up for it. Think in terms of what you want to create in the future; dont get bogged down by what you do not have in this moment.

Recognize the true power of your words and thoughts. Saying I am poor makes it more and more true each time, whereas I allow the possibility of making more money than I am now is also self-fulfilling. You dont want to pretend a situation is one way when in truth it is another. But you can open to shifts in your life through the way you think and speak about money.

3. Learn to DIY

We have gotten very accustomed to consuming and paying other people for goods and services, but it was not always this way. With a little training and effort, we can learn many skills that will save us a great deal of money in the long run.

If you spend a lot of money eating out, take a cooking course (even a free online one) and learn how to prepare delicious nutritious meals at home. You will save hundreds of dollars every year and greatly support your health. Growing a vegetable garden will help you save even more on food.

And there are many small tasks, from cleaning the windows to repairing torn clothes to changing the oil in your vehicle, that you can learn to do yourself and save lots of money.

4. Pay Yourself

Anxiety is dispelled by action. Rather than just being afraid that you might not have enough money for future needs, do something about it. Every month, put some money into a savings account even just a little. When you have enough saved, move it into a longer-term investment account that will mature in 5 or 10 years.

This small act of savings can give you great peace of mind. And it puts money to work for you, rather than you always working for money.

5. Give It Away

It might sound counter-intuitive, but there is a palpable internal transformation that happens when we focus on what we can give instead of what we need to get. Generosity opens us up to receive in a way that the energy of scarcity never could. This is the power of tithing, giving a small percentage of your income to people and organizations that matter to you. When we give, we are less focused on our needs and more in communion with other people.

Giving can easily be scaled to what you have. In some instances a single dollar is an incredible act of generosity. Other people might give thousands. What matters is not the amount, but that you give freely to someone who will benefit from your offering.

Money is a tool and a measure of value. It only has as much power as we give it. While having a lot of money might facilitate a more comfortable life, it is not the key to happiness. If we prioritize our health, relationships, generosity, and the things that make us truly happy, we will find that money is just a part of our lives not in charge of them.