Over the past few weeks, I slipped into a scarcity loop. On the back of a nasty bout of flu, when I was feeling dreadful and couldn’t get outside for my usual hill walks, money worries, time worries, energy worries – all tangled like a giant bowl of spaghetti.
If you’ve been there, you’ll know the feel of it: thoughts racing, interrupted sleep, shoulders up around your ears, everything suddenly urgent and overwhelming.
Scarcity hooks into our primal survival instincts. When we don’t feel we have enough – money, food, love, safety, time, energy – the nervous system flips into threat mode. Our cortisol levels climb, and our minds start playing worst-case scenarios like a horror movie on repeat.
We either reach for control or we freeze, and when we’re in peri- or menopause, shifting hormones can amplify this and make old coping patterns louder. (And let’s face it, control is a mirage that sucks you in and drains your energy as you endlessly pursue it.)
What I figured out is that these patterns, along with the beliefs attached to scarcity, are old programs I’d learned or inherited and then stored. They play on repeat, directing the show, especially when I’m at my most vulnerable.
Beliefs, old memories, and the body
Many of our reactions are shaped by memories. One helpful lens refers to these imprints as cellular memories – experiences and beliefs stored throughout the body, not just in the brain. (There’s science to back this up, and the experiences of organ recipients who report having memories of events their donors lived through.)
Whether or not you agree with every claim, the lived truth is simple: most scarcity stories didn’t start with us. We absorbed them. And when life hits inevitable bumpy patches, those stories wake up and take control of the show.
What I noticed in my own spiral
I’ve been grappling with old scarcity programming throughout my life. If you grew up in a household where money was always tight – and the belief that having money was somehow “bad” – chances are you’ve bumped up against this too.
For me, it extends further. There’s the concept that we’re time poor – never enough hours in the day – and that sense of rushing becomes familiar. Our family also ate like there was always a food shortage, even though there wasn’t.
Parents who lived through wars or the depression often overcompensated with excess at every meal. We had the good fortune to grow up on a farm where there was always enough food – an abundance of it. Yet coupled with messages of scarcity in every other part of life, over-consumption quietly became the norm.
Even the messages of not enoughness reinforced the mindset: I was never quite good enough, somehow lacking because I didn’t fit into the perceived “normal” mould.
All of these experiences wound tightly into a belief that I would always live in scarcity. So when things get tight – financially, energetically, or in time – those old scarcity beliefs take over.
How it showed up:
Tunnel thinking – worst-case scenarios kicked in big-time, and all those nourishing, grounding practices went quietly by the wayside.
Body bracing – everything tightened, and I stopped moving mindfully. Cortisol began to run the show again.
Comparison loops – I compared my current self to my past self and to others.
Inherited scripts surfacing word for word – the voices from childhood echoed through my thoughts and speech.
I was never going to logic my way out of this one because I’d tapped into the most primal response there is – our need to feel safe – and those messages are literally part of my cellular makeup.
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Stop the scarcity loop
If you’re in a scarcity mindset, there are simple practices that help shift it.
Gratitude – three true things
Morning or midday, name three specifics. Keep it real: “Warm sun on the bench. A kind text. Leftover soup.” Gratitude broadens awareness and slows the mind.Mindfulness – senses on
Pause for sixty seconds. Find five things you can see; four you can touch; three you can hear; two you can smell; one you can taste. Presence dissolves “what if” thinking.Nature – dose the outside
Step into sunlight. Walk barefoot on the grass. Stroll to the letterbox. Two minutes is enough to change your internal weather. (For me, it’s getting my hands into the soil, pulling weeds, and moving my body.)
A deeper practice – clearing old scarcity imprints
The simple steps work well for small flare-ups, but when you’re in deep – or you want to dig out the old programs by the roots – try going further.
Below is a simplified version of the Energy Medicine Tool from Cellular Memory Healing: How to Clear Limiting Beliefs and Emotional Wounds at the Cellular Level (Conscious Lifestyle Magazine). Use it if it resonates. If not, skip it.
(I’ve been using this practice for several days, and it’s made a difference. My focus is on those old scarcity messages, flipping them toward abundance and anchoring in gratitude – because that’s what’s true and real.)
Cellular Memory Exercise (Energy Medicine Tool) – about 10 minutes
Intent: to offer your body gentle safety while you hold one issue in mind, so the old stress pattern can soften.
Before you start:
Pick a single issue (for example: “this week’s money panic”).
Optionally rate the distress 0 – 10.
Set a heart-felt intention: I want the source of this fear to be healed in a way that helps everyone involved.
(It might sound woo-woo, but the concept is to replace the energy of the stored memory with positive energy, and as everything is energy, it’s worth a try!)
Three hand positions – hold each 1 – 3 minutes
Heart – one or both hands flat on the upper chest.
Forehead – one or both hands across the forehead, little finger just above the brows.
Crown – one or both hands on top of the head.
Rest your hands, or make slow, light circles if comfortable. While you hold each position, simply notice the issue or rest your attention on your positive thought. If you feel light-headed, switch positions or stop and try again later. Repeat two or three times a day until the issue feels like a “1 or less” on your distress rating, or use it ad hoc when the scarcity loop spikes.
From Conscious Lifestyle Magazine – “Cellular Memory Healing: How to Clear Limiting Beliefs and Emotional Wounds at the Cellular Level” (excerpted from The Love Code, Dr Alexander Loyd).
Why practices like this help
Whether you think of it as cellular memory or learned patterning, consistent signals of safety – like touch, breath, and presence – help to ease the stress response. Once we reduce cortisol spikes and calm the nervous system, we can make more nourishing choices.
We can reprogram our habitual responses, even those linked to our most primal instincts. Awareness is the first step, and then a willingness to slowly explore what drives our behaviors.
A kinder story to practice
I love these as simple mantras. Whether you combine them with the energy practice above or recall them whenever you’re overwhelmed, they’re an easy way to rewrite the script.
I have real needs today, and I can meet them one step at a time.
Some of these fears aren’t mine – I’m allowed to lay them down.
I’m allowed to have enough. Time. Money. Food. Rest. Love.
When it comes to financial scarcity, a powerful question to ask is: If money were no object, what would I do? It’s not easy to step back when bills are piling up – and I’m aware I write this from a place of relative privilege.
A nervous system that’s consistently firing at an eight out of ten doesn’t leave much room for clear thinking. And if scarcity is programmed into your DNA, you’re fighting an uphill battle. Calm the nervous system, step back from those primal responses, and you can start to level the field.
Something to Try for A Week…
Morning – three things you’re grateful for.
First wobble – 60-second engage-your-senses check-in.
Afternoon – one full round of the Energy Medicine Tool. (I’m currently repeating this three times a day.)
Evening – step outside and breathe: in 4, out 6, for two minutes.
If scarcity is your default
This is where Grounded begins – simple, repeatable safety signals so the alarm bells don’t have to ring. It’s not about complication or adding more to your life; it’s about clear, gentle ways to reprogram your nervous system for safety.
Grounded is coming soon. In the interests of my own nervous system health, I’m taking my time to prepare the first 60-minute program. I’ll let you know when it’s ready, and a bonus video will be available on my YouTube channel later this week, delving deeper into this topic.
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