You know you are in debt, but you may not fully comprehend how debt impacts your psychological health. By understanding the mental impact carrying a financial burden may have, you can gain clarity on certain emotions, thoughts or even physical symptoms you recently noticed in yourself.
Debt.org explores the mental effects of debt. See if any of these sound like they may apply to your situation.
Stress
One thing to know about stress is it manifests in several ways, including trouble sleeping, heart palpitations and difficulty concentrating. With financial stress, it can easily trickle over into other areas of your life, such as stressing about your work performance because you need to work to continue paying off debt and feeling guilty for ordering out rather than cooking at home, which is often less expensive.
Denial
How honest are you with yourself about your current financial situation? Maybe you feel unsure of how much you owe and do not care to find out, or perhaps you recently applied for a new credit card even though you maxed out the ones you currently have. Existing in a state of denial does not do you any favors regarding pulling yourself from your quagmire of debt.
Anxiety
Debt can make a person feel panicked and fearful. Thinking about the impact of a single missed paycheck could make you anxious, or you may have trouble breathing when you think about how you went $10 over your weekly grocery budget. Existing in constant fear is no way to live.
You have options for dealing with the psychological impact of debt. Explore those choices to see how you can improve your financial health and your mental health.
