Financial wellness is often forgotten about as a pillar of wellness, yet it is crucial to being happy and healthy in life. A lack of financial wellness in our lives can lead to stress, anxiety and can prevent us from building our dream lives.

Working towards financial wellness is a journey and there is no quick fix to suddenly being financially well, but here are 5 immediate steps you can take to instantly feel more in control on the path to financial wellness:

1. Write down how you are feeling

Take the time to write down how you are feeling about your finances right now in your journal. Make sure you write down more than a few lines, its important to understand how your subconscious mind really views money and so you need to do a minimum of one page.

2. Choose One Thing

Choose one thing to be specifically grateful for. It could be having a family member in your life, or the roof over your head, or a the first cup of tea you have in a morning! Sit mindfully and consider how grateful you are for having that one thing right now in your life.

3. Look at your bank accounts

Open up your banking apps and take the time to write down how much money you have in your bank. Whether this number is low, high or somewhere in the middle, knowing the number helps to give clarity about what you have to work with until you get paid or receive more money.

4. Take Control

Choose one category in your flexible expense such as groceries and decide to take control. Review what is in your cupboards, freezer and fridge and create a meal plan using as much produce as you can that you already have. Anything else you need, consider the most cost effective place to buy these such as a farm shop or Aldi rather than the local convenience store. A couple of hours work planning and shopping mindfully can mean you get to save quite a bit of money.

5. Reflect

Reflect on how it felt to take control of that one element. You have choices and you have the ability to control where your money goes, even if you feel you have very little control over wider elements of your life.