by Wendy Wright, LMFT, Financial Therapist, Wealth Transfer Dynamics Specialist, Money Coach

You may be wondering what money and milkshakes have in common. To start, they both can give you a brain freeze (ha!). They can also cause discomfort when they feel out of control. 

For today’s blog post, I want to talk about what I call “the intersection of money and milkshakes” and how you can find a path toward healing through the money and food connection.

You may have struggled at times to understand why you repeat things. Ever wondered why you return to the use of a credit card after paying off debt and promising to never put yourself in that situation again? Maybe you find yourself binging on food again, even though just this morning you made another vow to yourself to “lose 10 pounds.” You may end up in tears, accepting the reality that you haven’t made any changes despite your promises to yourself.

I am here to offer another way to look at your struggles. When I was working primarily with individuals struggling with eating disorders, I began to notice some similar statements showing up with my clients that intrigued me. Many of them would use the same sentences to describe their relationships with money as they used for their relationships with food, body, and/or exercise.

For instance, many clients turned to shopping. They may contemplate a purchase to help them “feel not so fat” or “help them fit in” as they try to decrease their binging and purging cycle. Shopping, then, is a coping mechanism, just like binging and purging. Others might lean into their emotions. They may feel like they “never have enough money” and practice rigid habits around money management. Chances are, this strictness is mirrored in their food and exercise behaviors with restriction and compulsion. 

I had other clients who shared stories of feeling overwhelmed about spending or saving. They felt like they never did it “right.” These same clients would often restrict foods because they could never find the “right” food to eat. In all these examples, for those suffering from severe disorders, there is a sense that catastrophe lies ahead if the wrong decision is made.

As you can see, this money and food connection is real! 

Naming it and understanding it better can bring true relief. Here are some other similarities you may have noticed between money and food:

Seeing how these thoughts show up in both areas of your life can help you move you away from certain beliefs – things like “I am stupid about money,” “I am powerless to stop binging,” or “I am too lazy to change.” Once you are aware that these patterns exist with both money and food, you are able to work on the underlying issues that are really at play here. When you have more awareness and more clarity, you can gain more traction in healing and changing.  And, even more exciting, you can see this isn’t just something broken inside of you!

I recently explored the parallels between money and food on the podcast Taking Up Space with Cassie Krajewski. 

During the interview, we discussed the complex and often overlooked intersection of money, food, and mental wellness. Through personal stories and real-world examples, I broke down how financial therapy invites curiosity and compassion into the picture. This approach allows you to move away from rigid, shame-based approaches to food and finances and instead fosters flexibility and self-acceptance. Check out the episode here!

If you haven’t already tuned into my episode of the Stacking Benjamins Show podcast, don’t miss it! During a roundtable discussion with host Joe Saul-Sehy, Paula Pant of Afford Anything, and Larry Sprung of Mitlin Money Mindset, we chatted about how financial trauma manifests in money behaviors and the many benefits of financial therapy — some of which I’ve touched on again in this blog post. 

To help you deepen your healing through the money and food connection, I’m so excited to share my new series of journal prompts. 

With the Healing Through the Money and Food Connection collection of prompts for your Financial Therapy Journal, you can further explore the intersection of money and milkshakes in your own life. Your Financial Therapy Journal is designed to be an ongoing experience, with various paid and free prompt and lesson series. You can create one folder on your device and keep adding new content.  

Imagine sailing through this holiday season with peace and calm around food and money! Grab your bundle today to start your healing journey.

As a reminder, these resources are not therapy or a replacement for therapy. They are meant to be educational and great to use in combination with therapy. To book a free discovery call with me, click here!

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