What Can Debt Do To Your Body?

After yesterday’s post about RealAge.com, I started wondering if I could find any information on what exactly happens to your body when you are in debt.

I found a very interesting article via Gearing Up Consultants, Presenters and Psychologists. Here’s an exerpt:

“Dr. Sylvia: Without a doubt, financial debt is a serious trap millions of people experience. Debt leaves you with a feeling of imminent doom, overwhelming stress and as a result more health problems. Research has tied stress to health problems including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stomach disorders such as colitis Overtime, chronic debt leads to chronic worry. We eat too much, smoke too much, drink too much and generally torture ourselves to death over what we owe!”

If you get a chance, please check out the full article, Debt Got You Down? Ask Your Body. At the end, Dr. Sylvia gives a few recommendations for those struggling with debt.

Posted by Tricia on September 20, 2007 at 8:21 AM in General Debt | 7 Comments »
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debtinseattle responded:
Posted: September 20th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Debt definitely has an impact on my health. The more worried I get about finances, the less likely I am to go to the gym and work out. I also miss meals when I’m stressed which causes me to over eat later. I wish that there were an off/on switch to handle the anxiety we all feel about our debt problems.
Mrs. Micah responded:
Posted: September 20th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Stress sucks. I actually find job insecurity much more stressful than finance. My employers are keeping me up in the air about my status. I just want to be hired or something!

Fortunately, I’ve managed to make finance more of a game, something exciting I get to participate in.

P.S. If it takes you a few tries to stop smoking, that’s fine. It took my ad a number of years, even after he’d stopped drinking. But he was finally able to do it. Good luck!
William Brooks responded:
Posted: September 21st, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I march to a different beat here but going into debt, especially if it is for reasons where you are investing in a business or what not?

But I almost get a kick out of it. It puts me into a situation where you better succeed and hit your goals or you are going to pay. Those are the times to shine.

So what if your debt is on clothes and other “bad” debt… well I would put on a positive attitude and think of this as your time to shine… what is your alternative? think negative and lose? that doesn’t sound fun..

Those are my two cents on that..

Great post though I think the mental side of this game plays a really huge part!
Sarah Lewis responded:
Posted: September 21st, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I hadn’t really given the physical aspects of debt much thought before! I associate those symptoms more with work stress, because I’m okay financially but self-employed and a people-pleaser to boot (possibly a terrible combo…).

Obviously it’s best to avoid debt altogether, but if you’re already in debt (and have taken steps to avoid future debt!) I like William’s suggestions.
Bas responded:
Posted: September 24th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Good article… Since debt causes stress I think it definitely effects our health.

The one thing that has helped me have a “good” attitude about my debt (and avoid getting overly stressed) is………

I made an excel spreadsheet with all of my debts. Then I put down every month with the balances. I update it every paycheck and I get to watch it go lower and lower and lower. It feels like you’re saving money.

Another (even better way) to do it is to do your net worth on a spreadsheet and everytime you pay down some debt your net worth goes up. It’s motivating
Build & Succeed - My Personal Finance Blog » Kill Debt Before it Kills You responded:
Posted: September 24th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
[...] think we all know how debt can literally kill us. I was reading Tricia’s article on What Can Debt Do To Your Body and she found information on how debt causes stress, [...]
John responded:
Posted: September 25th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
There is absolutly no question that being in debt affected my health… many nights I couldn’t sleep while up worried about how I was going to make it. I’d be consumed with guilt… it affected my self esteme.

I am one year into a 5 year get out of debt plan, and I can not tell you how much happier I have been. I know there is an end in sight. I know I will be debt free in 4 years, if not sooner. I sleep better. I am a happier person… I really can not quantify how much my life improved, it was so dramatic.

Even just taking ownership of my debt… making an affermative decision about my life, that I wasn’t going to file for bankruptcy, that I was going to pay this off… that I got myself into this problem, and I am going to get myself out… it was empowering… I stopped feeling bad, and started recognizing the good work I was doing to get it paid down.