DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been going down memory lane a lot these past few months that we have been at home. I keep remembering all kinds of things that I regret. Decisions that were stupid that I didn’t think through have come back to kick me in the butt now.

Harriette Cole 

I can’t believe how short-sighted I was in my youth. Now I am reaping the fruit of my bad actions. The worst of them are about poor money management.

I can’t turn back time to fix any of it, and I keep waking up at night regretting how I handled things. How can I get out of this head space? It’s not doing me any favors, but the nightmares keep coming.

End the Nightmares

DEAR END THE NIGHTMARES: You may not be able to do anything about the past, but you can face the present and map out the future.

If your major issue revolves around money, get some help. You can go online and find a money management app that can help you keep track of your spending. Mint is a good app for tracking every dollar. Credit Karma can help you to stay on top of your credit rating. It also makes suggestions for how to raise your credit score. Acorns helps you invest very small amounts of money so that you can build your savings. And there are many more.

You may also want to take an online course about money management, hire a bookkeeper to help you keep track of your resources and potentially engage an investment adviser who can help you look at the future and make a plan to lead you to financial freedom.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My high school-aged daughter is taking an accelerated college class this summer. I am excited for her to stimulate her brain and get some good extra credit on her résumé.

I am also worried that she isn’t applying herself enough. The class operates at a quick pace. She started out gung ho, but her enthusiasm has dwindled. How can I keep her motivated? This class was expensive, but besides that, it is important for her to excel.

Keeping Her Motivated

DEAR KEEPING HER MOTIVATED: Sit down with your daughter and establish a work schedule with her. Discuss her responsibilities. Have her explain what she is required to do and what the deadlines are. Help her to create a calendar that includes deadlines for each assignment. She should also add in breaks for relaxing. After she commits to the schedule, tell her you will help her to monitor it.

Acknowledge that you know this is a lot of work at an intense pace. Encourage her to have confidence in herself that she can get it done. Be her cheerleader and enforcer. In this way, you can keep her attitude positive even though it is a grind.

Since the academic schedule was off this past semester for all students due to COVID-19, your daughter probably lost her academic rhythm several months ago, which makes this new class that much more challenging to engage in fully. She can do it. Cheer her on.

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.