47. Weight loss, finances and clutter

Is weight loss impacted by other life challenges such as finances and clutter/organization? Are there connections and similarities between these 3 things? This is what we are talking about this week! We covered:

• Correlations between financial hardship and weight
• How environment affects weight and the connection there (as discussed in episode 18)
• What are the similarities between all 3 of these?
• The CALM Method as it relates to finances and clutter (it's not just for weight!)

As I mentioned, I really want to keep this discussion going, so please reach out to me if this resonates with you or if you have any thoughts about it. 

I'd love to hear from you! You can connect with me in the following ways:

Instagram: @thejennwatts
Email: jennifer@jenniferwatts.ca

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue to create content that supports you on your journey.

I'd love to know if there's something you want to hear more about or if you want to let me know about your own experiences with ADHD and weight loss.

Transcript

Hello, everyone. I am for real. Gonna try to keep this to be a brief episode. I have this cold cough, whatever tis the season, if you have kids, and so I have really, like, tickly scratchy throat, and I don't want to keep, like, coughing and all that jazz. So I really will try to keep this brief, but what I wanted to talk about this week is this sort of connection between these three sort of factors in life that I see. I mean, obviously we talk about weight here, weight loss as somebody with ADHD, but I I see so much overlap between weight, finances and like clutter or organization. And I had done like a poll on my Instagram stories back in I think it was like in February, and I asked if people, because other people that follow me are generally people with ADHD, who are interested in the weight loss side of things. And I asked if they, you know, struggle with weight finances and clutter. And my poll said, like, Do you struggle with all three of these? Just one or two of them, or none of them? And 70% of people said they struggle with all three. And I really do see this pretty often, and I think a lot of it has to do with the, you know, the things that impact us in that way, you know, executive function and that type of stuff from our ADHD. But also, I feel like so much of it comes down to sort of shame or self doubt or not, not feeling like you're capable or you know what to do, and then, like things kind of balloon and get into this situation, and you feel like you don't know what to do. And other you know things to the are out there to try to help you to resolve these situations or make changes, they just don't connect for you, or you've tried them, and you talk to people, and people are like, why? I don't understand why this is such a problem for you. You know, especially when it comes to finances, I find that is the one in particular where I think there's a lot of shame. You know, people with ADHD in particular, I think with things like impulsivity, it's very easy for you to, you know, people call it ADHD tax. You know, you kind of end up overspending because you buy duplicates of things, or you lose things and you replace it, or you forget you subscribe to something, all those little things that add up, you forget to pay a bill and that type of stuff and just not paying attention. And then things like that can accumulate. And then you get into these positions where you don't feel comfortable and safe to talk to somebody about it, to try to come up with a plan or strategy for how to, not only to like resolve the situation, but also to like, have a plan going forward, so that you don't just kind of end up in the same spot again. And I think that there is a lot of this sense of, I should know better, like, I shouldn't even be in this position. I should have known better. And so I'm, like, too afraid to or too embarrassed to talk to somebody about it. And anyways, I just, I just feel like that. It just perpetuates and grows, and it just kind of festers in a way. And I think they impact one another across the board, between our weight, our finances, and then things like clutter, like we know, like I have an episode. I think it's episode 18. I looked it up before, before I started recording, excuse me, where I talked about our environments like clutter and organization and that type of stuff, and how that impacts our weight. So there's for sure connection there. And I think there's a lot of similarities in how we handle those types of things. Or try. If we want to make changes around it. I think between all three of them, they really kind of follow the same structure, and so much of it comes down to awareness and acceptance, and not, you know, feeling like you have to hide or or experience shame around these types of things, because I think a lot of people suffer in silence with a lot of these things. But anyhow, so yeah, so like I said, I have already kind of explored this connection between sort of your environment, your clutter, your organization and weight. But I just wanted to quickly touch on a few things when it comes to finances. And when I talk about finances, I'm not talking about like, you know, investing in the stock market and stuff like that. I'm just talking about, like, budgeting and like debt and that type of stuff, just sort of daily personal finance stuff. And, of course, you, as you probably know, I'm a CPA, so this is the area where I kind of feel the most well versed. And just to be clear, I myself have struggled in all three of these areas. So if you feel, if you feel any kind of shame around this, imagine being a CPA. No, I mean, like, I think so much of this stems from, you know, I mean, there's other, there's various sources or things, areas that impact these things for us, all three of them, you know, a big part of it is how you were raised, like, with your when it comes to the finances. And I think that, to me, that that has always been, you know, a big caveat for me of why I didn't really feel terribly, terribly, you know, shameful, that I didn't really know how to manage money because I wasn't really taught a lot of it the way I was raised. But anyhow, how you were raised, I think can impact all three of these areas. Socioeconomic status is a big part of it. You know, have you experienced trauma? Are you in a very stressful time in your life? Like there's so many things that go into it, but I do believe that there's, you know, for those of us who are neurodivergent, who have ADHD, there's, there's those factors that go into it as well. But anyways, back to what I was going to say, talking about, excuse me, talking about the, you know, the connection between struggles with your weight and finances. I actually found a study as from 2014 I found it on PubMed, and it was talking, it was, it was called financial hardship and obesity, and it talked about the, yeah, if there's a correlation between your financial hardships and body weight, and it did say that there is a substantial correlation between household debt and health. And it said that they did identify that there's a correlation between financial hardship and body weight, but it's mostly driven by unobservables, except this is a quote from it. It did say there is suggestive evidence that having trouble paying bills may be a cause of obesity for women, very interesting. I just like, I mean, I think those factors that we talked about before, socioeconomic status, stress, trauma, all those types of things can have a really big impact on it. And I think stress in particular, you know, if you if you are dealing with stresses in your life, whether it's just like low grade, constant stress, of like regular things, like, you know, motherhood or your job, or whatever the case may be, or if it's if it's acute stress, you know, you're dealing with something really challenging that's really difficult. I think this can be like something. This can really contribute to things like weight and financial struggles, and, you know, clutter in your home. And I think another factor is that coping mechanisms, right, like we deal with these things, especially, you know, with with ADHD, there's so many ways that we can feel like we need relief, like there's such a build up of, excuse me, there's such a build up of, um, you know, just like that stress throughout the day, of Like, easily getting overwhelmed and feeling like your energy is spent so early on, because you have to focus and and be intentional about, like, regular, everyday things that other people can kind of do on autopilot. And so I think finding coping mechanisms. A lot of us do that, and a lot. Of it is not, you know, we don't realize we're doing it. It's kind of a subconscious thing. But this can be things like shopping, eating,

you know, like, just, yeah, like buying things. And I think that contributes to the financial side of things, as well as the clutter in the home, because we so often will just, like, buy more things, and then we already have other things, and then they just kind of pile on top of each other. And you know, not only does that we we do these things in a way to like as coping mechanisms, which we think are going to help with our stress, but in the end, those things actually end up contributing to us feeling a little bit stressed out, right? Because you have all this extra stuff, and then your environment gets cluttered, and then that makes you feel stressed out, and that affects you, you know, your ability to follow through on the things that you want to do, like, let's say for cooking. Your kitchen's all cluttered and you don't want to, you know, cook, or you just feel this kind of like, I know I get like this, feel this kind of stress and like, I just hate the way I feel in this environment. I don't want to be here, you know, and so, yeah, I just really believe and see how they're all connected. But I also really think that there are ways to to, you know, work through these things and really think that awareness and acceptance is the first step, for sure. I mean, anytime you look at or consider things like paying off debt, oftentimes people don't want to look at their money. They don't want to see because they don't want to see how bad it is. And that is like, so understandable, but it is always kind of the first step in being able to work towards resolving any of it is to actually see it and acknowledge it and accept it and become aware of it, right? It's the same thing with your home. If your home is really cluttered and disorganized and you don't feel good in it, it's easy to just be like, Okay, I'm just, I just don't even want to deal with it, right? But until we actually say, like, Okay, I see how this is bothering me, I accept that this is, you know, impacting me. It's really, you know, it's not the way that I want to live, and I want to come up with a plan to try to make some change. And that part is not easy, right? Like, right off the bat, trying to to find a way to change that stuff can be really overwhelming at first, but it's the same with your weight like it's the same if you want to, if you desire weight loss, and especially if you're somebody who has, you know, a bigger amount of weight that you want to lose. It feels like that at the beginning. It feels very overwhelming. And that is okay. We can work around that. We can break it up into smaller pieces. Like, there is just it's not it is not hopeless, believe me, it is not hopeless. But all across the board, with all three of these things that you know, initial awareness and acceptance can also come with just this feeling of like standing at the bottom of a mountain and like, how am I going to do this? It's normal to feel that way, and you can absolutely make that change. Yes, it feels it can feel overwhelming when you think about weight loss. It can feel overwhelming when you think about debt payoff, and it can feel overwhelming when you think about trying to, you know, Declutter Your Home or or come up with organization systems for yourself. But I really think it's kind of the same method, like my calm method, you know, talking about creative planning, you know, awareness, your lifestyle, movement, not so much, aside from weight loss, but it does help, right? And mindfulness, those things are all kind of the same, right? It's, it's really trying to get us into this sort of, you know, sustainable flow state of change, like, that's like, really suited to you. So anyhow, I just really wanted to talk about how these things are connected. And so if you are struggling in any of these areas, I really, really want you to, first of all, you're not alone, but I really don't want you to feel shame around it. And I just, I think, like, the main reason I really want to bring this up is because I do want to talk more about these things. I know this is like a weight loss specific podcast, and that's also sort of what I talk about on my Instagram and and and stuff. But I do I really want to talk about these other topics, because I think I. We are so much more, you know, alike than we are different. And a lot of us, I think, struggle with this. And, you know, back when I was in my toughest periods, like, I thought I was the only one, like, I really thought I was, like, the only person out there that was just like, I felt like I couldn't get it. It's like, I know I'm a smart person, but I'm just, I just suck at all of these things, and I can't get it together. And look at all these other people living these like, organized, you know, probably debt free, like healthy lives, and I'm just like, over here struggling, like, barely keeping afloat. I don't want you to feel that way. You are not alone in this, and there's nothing wrong with you. You're not like a weirdo that can't can't do things like there are reasons and connections as to why these things are struggles for you. But not only do I want you to know that you're not alone, but I want you to know that you are so capable of change, if change is what you desire in these areas. And this is not like a, you know, a, we're gonna do a 180 in all three areas, and life is gonna be totally different tomorrow, like that. It's not at all what I'm saying. But I just, I just really want you to know that like you might feel like you're not capable, you are capable. I 100% believe that this is possible, and especially when we start to, you know, make little changes, and we see the impact that that has on us, and we do it again and again and again, so that it really kind of resonates and it really sticks, you are gonna start to feel limitless like you. You really do start to see like, oh my gosh, I can change. But yes, I really believe all three of these things are connected. I do believe they impact one another. I feel they are very similar, and there's nothing wrong with you, and you are not the only person. If you struggle with one, two or all three of these things. And yeah, I just really want to keep this dialog open. And yeah, just expand on the ways that we can make because also last, last thing I'll say, and then I really have to stop because my throat is scratchy, is that, I think it's really, there's a big overlap. And I see, I see this, you know, that people are not just, often, it's not just a weight loss journey. Somebody might be on a weight loss and a debt repayment journey. Or somebody might be on a weight loss and, you know, decluttering journey, or, like, coming, coming to finding some kind of organization and and comfort in their own home, that type of stuff. So yes, I really believe they're all interconnected, and you're not alone in this. You're completely capable. And let's keep this. Let's keep talking about these things. And you know, like, I always say this, but please feel free to reach out to me. I would especially love to know if this resonates with people. I mean, I know, like I mentioned from that poll on my Instagram that like, like I said, 70% of people said that, that they they struggle with all three of these. So please let me know if, if this, if this is you too, and help help everybody else to not feel alone in this. So anyhow, that's what I have for you this week. Thank you for bearing with me in my cold. I didn't want to skip the episode, though, so I will talk to you next week.