How Reclaiming Your Body Rewrites the Money Story
“Money is not just math. It’s memory, emotion, and energy—stored in the body.”
If you’ve ever felt tension in your chest while checking your bank account or guilt when you spend on something you love, you’re not alone. For many of us, especially those from historically marginalized communities, financial empowerment isn’t just about earning more—it’s about healing what’s stored in our nervous systems.
At Chez Trendi, we believe true wealth begins in the body.
Why Budgeting Can Feel Like a Threat
For people socialized under systems of scarcity, budgeting often triggers our survival response. We freeze when asked to plan, or we avoid altogether. That’s not laziness or lack of discipline—that’s your body saying: this feels unsafe.
Scarcity lives in the tissues. And if we’ve grown up seeing money as stressful, controlling, withheld, or always just out of reach… then our bodies carry that narrative forward. Every time we sit down to “get it together,” our nervous system replays the trauma.
So what’s the alternative?
The Somatic Shift: From Scarcity to Sovereignty
Somatics teaches us that our bodies are wise. They remember—but they can also relearn.
By integrating simple grounding practices into financial tasks, we create a new association between safety and money. We begin to feel our worth—not just understand it intellectually.
Here are three core practices to start:
1. Ground First, Budget Later
Before you touch a spreadsheet, touch your body. Place your hands on your heart. Breathe.
Say aloud: “I am safe. I choose clarity.”
This tells your nervous system: we’re not in danger. It rewires budgeting from threat to self-care.
2. Journal Through the Shame
Ask:
– What did I learn about money as a child?
– What emotions arise when I spend on myself?
– What does financial safety feel like in my body?
You can’t build new habits on top of old stories. Your body must be part of the rewriting.
3. Ritualize the Numbers
Light a candle. Put on calming music. Break your budget into four categories:
Nourishment (food, rest, joy)
Stability (rent, bills, needs)
Expansion (education, creative growth)
Offerings (giving)
This turns money into ritual. A reflection of your values—not just your expenses.
Case Study: “I Felt Worthless Unless I Was Hustling”
One of my clients, a creative entrepreneur, came to me saying, “I feel like I have to prove my worth by how much I earn—but I also panic every time I try to look at my finances.” Through a 4-week somatic coaching journey, we didn’t start with spreadsheets—we started with breath. Movement. Safety. Over time, she was able to approach her finances from a place of curiosity instead of fear. She now runs her business with grace and structure—and checks her budget while sipping tea, not spiraling.
Want to Try It Yourself?
I’ve created a free somatic guide just for you. “The Embodied Budget: A Somatic Ritual to Reclaim Your Financial Power” is a calming, body-first approach to financial clarity. It includes movement prompts, journal exercises, and a ritual budgeting template designed to help you feel safe and sovereign when navigating money.
📥 Click here to download the guide now.
Your Body is a Source of Wealth
Your worth is not earned—it’s remembered. It’s lived, moved, and felt.
The more we center the body in our financial healing, the more our wealth becomes a reflection of our alignment, not our fear.
Here’s to wealth that feels good in the bones.
Ready to Take This Work Deeper?
If this blog resonated with you—if you're craving more ease, embodiment, and clarity in your day-to-day—then you're going to love what’s next.
We’re currently creating a live Mindfulness Masterclass: a guided somatic experience designed to help you ground your nervous system, reclaim your focus, and return to yourself.
✨ Click here to register your interest
Be the first to know when we open the doors—and receive a special bonus resource while you wait.
Additional Reading Resources 📚
Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown (grounding in joy, value, and liberation)
Call of the Wild: How We Heal Trauma, Awaken Our Own Power, and Use It for Good by Kimberly Ann Johnson
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily & Amelia Nagoski (includes somatic tools for recovery)
