3 minutes - Article
Debt stress feels bad, but learning how to tackle it can feel good.
Worrying about money? Can’t sleep because you’re stressed out about bills? Have you paid off a few bills, but now you have no money for food or rent? If this sounds like you, you probably have debt stress.
Debt is when you owe money. It’s okay to owe a little bit, but we stress when we owe too much or are afraid we can’t pay it back.
Worry happens
Manraj Waraich is a Financial Educator at the Credit Counselling Society and sees debt stress every day.
“When we have that stress, we’re not living our best life. We’re not able to focus on our different personal goals that we have, whether it’s our career, personal life or anything like that,” says Manraj.
Be aware of how debt stress may be affecting you
Worrying about how much we owe, even if it’s just a small amount can linger in the back of your mind and cause you to argue about money with friends or family.
Be still, breathe and be aware. Then you can take some good steps to deal with your debt. Manraj says to pay attention to signs of stress in your body.
“One of the things that I would pay attention to is to your body. Our body will never lie to us. Our body will always tell us the truth about how we’re actually feeling. So, pay attention. Does your chest feel heavy? Do you feel stressed and tense? This means increased rates of depression, anxiety, migraines, and headaches, in addition to back and body pain.”
Take a walk
The good news is that you can tackle debt stress. Some things you can do for yourself right away are: going for a walk, exercising, participating in a ceremony, and taking care of yourself.
Another good way to deal with your debt stress is to talk to an adult you trust or call a credit counsellor.
A credit counsellor can help you take chare of your money issues, which will help your worries fade away. You can also begin to learn new habits for budgeting, saving and taking care of those bills. Manraj reminds us that dealing with our money problems feels good.
“You can have more peace of mind, and more happiness as well because it’s not in the back of your mind. Taking that first step, learning these skills, and getting advice will always pay off in the end.”
(photo credit: unsplash.com)
