5 Signs Money Stress Is Harming Your Health

Did you know that 72% of adults feel stressed about money?

It’s true! Almost three-quarters of us worry about our finances. But what’s more shocking than that figure is the detrimental effects money stress has on our health.

Worrying about money (or rather lack of it) can cause chronic stress, poor sleep, and even physical ailments like chest pain.

Research shows that financial health is intertwined with mental, emotional, and physical well-being. But how do you know if your money problems are causing more than an uneasy feeling in your mind?

In this week’s article and YouTube video, I’m sharing 5 signs that money stress is impacting your health, well-being, and relationships, and more importantly, what you can do to change that!

So let’s get started. Do any of these 5 signs sound familiar to you?

1. Chronic Stress and Anxiety

Firstly, worrying about money raises your body’s cortisol level, the primary stress hormone. 

But the thing with money stress is that it often remains unnoticed in the background. 

We might not always consciously think about our finances, yet we have a constant sense of unease. We’re going about our day as usual, but in the back of our minds, we know we might not be able to pay the bills this month.

This unease keeps our cortisol levels elevated and leads to chronic stress and anxiety.

Chronic stress occurs when we have a consistent and long-term sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed. So if you’ve been worried about money for weeks or months now, there’s a high chance you’re chronically stressed.

Research shows that chronic stress can:

• Weaken your immune system
• Increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke
• Cause weight gain
• Affect your memory and ability to concentrate 

Chronic stress can also lead to the following…

2. Poor Sleep

Money stress is one of the most common things that keep us up at night. 

You know how it goes… You start calculating your income that month and realize you’re short on rent. This leads you to ruminate on the consequences, how you can stretch your payment, and so on, resulting in an overactive mind that can’t shut off.

Research backs this up, highlighting financial stress as one of the leading causes of insomnia. 

Over time, poor sleep can severely impact your health, affecting your memory, concentration, and mood.

When we’re tired, we’re less productive and tend to make more bad decisions, and we can essentially dig ourselves into an even deeper financial hole.

3. Emotional Eating or Other Coping Mechanisms

For many, stress leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms. If you don’t have the tools to deal with stress and anxiety in a healthy way, you may self-soothe through emotional eating,  drinking, or overspending.

While these actions may make us feel better temporarily, they often worsen our financial situation.

For example, let’s say you’re worried because you don’t have enough money for your rent. To deal with the anxiety, you impulsively order an expensive takeaway, leaving you with even less cash to pay your rent.

Thus, unhealthy coping mechanisms like binge eating compound the stress, while causing weight gain and potentially other health problems.

4. Relationship Strain

Money is one of the top causes of conflict in relationships. But regularly arguing about money can do more damage than you might think. Studies have found that couples who argue about money every week are 30% more likely to get divorced!

Here’s why…

Money arguments tend to involve a lot of blaming and criticizing. This can leave both partners feeling unsupported or disconnected, creating a sense of isolation over time.

And, of course, relationship conflict can increase your stress levels even further, to the point that you might notice the following sign…

5. Physical Symptoms

When financial stress becomes chronic, our bodies begin carrying the weight, resulting in physical symptoms like:

• Aches and pains
• Muscle tension
• Headaches
• Constant fatigue
• Digestive issues

Our bodies can only handle so much stress before it starts sending us warning signals that something needs to change. If we continue to ignore these first physical symptoms, they can escalate into serious health issues like heart disease and strokes.

The Way Out

If you resonate with these signs, don’t panic. Although financial problems can seem like a never-ending nightmare, it IS possible to free yourself. 

How?

Well, there’s one key shift that serves as the first domino to change, shifting not just your financial situation, but also your overall health.

And this isn’t a complicated financial strategy but a simple shift in perspective…

Shifting from Victim to Ownership

Victim mentality is a dangerous mindset that makes you feel like everything is beyond your control. Thoughts like, “This is just the way things are,” dominate your mind, leading you to believe that change is impossible and trying is pointless.

But here’s the truth: you have far more power than you realize. The moment you decide to take responsibility for your finances, everything starts to change.
Taking ownership means shifting your focus to what you can control and committing to take action.

Want to Take Action?

In this week’s YouTube video episode, I share 3 simple actions you can take TODAY to improve your finances (and health). 

Here’s where you can watch: 

If you’ve resonated with these five signs, share your “aha moment” and the first step you will take to turn things around in the comments below!

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