When Mallika Chopra was a kid, she saw first-hand the stress that money could cause.
She also learned from it, thanks to lessons from her father, well-known wellness expert and author Dr. Deepak Chopra, and her mother, Rita.
"Our childhood was actually full of a lot of stress and anxiety about money," said Chopra, 48, also an author and wellness expert.
That's because when her parents came to the U.S. from India, they were broke and Deepak Chopra was just starting out in his medical career.
"Because we grew up in that environment, my parents were always sharing with my brother and I ways in which we could save money, where we could invest money and also to be non-splurging all the time," said Chopra, whose latest book, "Just Feel: How to Be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More," is geared towards kids ages 8 to 12.
Her situation certainly isn't unique.
In fact, 53% of Americans get anxious thinking about finances, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's 2018 National Financial Capability Study, released in June 2019.
Chopra said it's important to remember that kids can feel that stress. Therefore, parents should have tools to manage their anxiety.
That could mean practicing meditation and mindfulness, or even just doing some breathing exercises.
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A simple way to pause and get more grounded is to use a method called S.T.O.P. , which stands for "stop, take three breaths, observe what is happening in your body, and proceed," she said.
"When we are in intense times of financial stress, if we can role model but also give our kids tools to recognize the feelings of anxiety, of stress and telling our kids that … 'it's actually OK and normal to feel stress,' then we begin a process by which as a family we can address these feelings overall and be healthier as a family."
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