Holiday Money Hangover: Coping with Financial Stress After December

Financial Stress Is Real Stress

When people talk about stress, they often think of work deadlines or relationship problems. Money stress gets dismissed—like you should just "budget better" and move on. That's not how it works.

Your brain doesn't distinguish between the threat of a physical danger and the threat of financial insecurity. Both trigger the same stress response: cortisol, adrenaline, racing thoughts, sleeplessness, irritability. Financial stress is physiologically real, and it takes a toll.

If any of this sounds familiar, you're dealing with financial anxiety. And it's incredibly common in January.

Why January Hits Harder

The holidays create a perfect storm for spending. Social pressure to give gifts. Family expectations. Travel costs. The desire to create a "magical" experience. Add in online shopping that makes spending feel abstract, and it's easy to overshoot.

Then January arrives. The bills come due. The contrast between holiday abundance and January reality is jarring. If you're also dealing with January blues or back-to-work burnout, financial stress compounds everything.

What Doesn't Help

Before talking about what helps, let's acknowledge what doesn't:

• Shame – Beating yourself up doesn't reduce debt. It just makes you feel worse and often leads to more avoidance.
• Avoidance – Not looking at statements doesn't make the problem go away. It usually makes anxiety worse.
• "Just budget better" advice – This ignores the emotional component. You already know you need to budget. That's not the problem.
• Comparison – Looking at others who seem to have it together financially just increases shame.

What Actually Helps

1. Separate the Financial Problem from the Emotional Problem

There are two things happening: the actual debt, and your emotional response to it. They need different solutions. A financial advisor can help with the first. Therapy can help with the second. Both are valid.

2. Take One Small Action

Avoidance feeds anxiety. Action—even tiny action—reduces it. You don't need to solve everything today. Just take one step:

• Open one statement you've been avoiding
• Set up automatic minimum payments to avoid late fees
• Spend 10 minutes writing down what you owe (just the facts, no judgment)

3. Contain the Worry

Financial anxiety tends to leak into everything. You're at work but thinking about debt. You're with family but calculating what you owe. One technique that helps: scheduled worry time.

Set aside 15-20 minutes each day specifically for financial thinking. Write down concerns, review numbers, make plans. Outside of that time, when financial worries pop up, remind yourself: "I have time set aside for this. I'll think about it then."

4. Address the Anxiety, Not Just the Budget

If financial stress is significantly impacting your sleep, relationships, or ability to function, the issue isn't just money management. It's anxiety. And anxiety responds well to therapy.

In therapy, we can work on the thought patterns driving your stress, develop healthier coping strategies, and address any shame or guilt that's making things worse. Therapy won't pay off your credit card, but it can help you think more clearly and feel less overwhelmed while you work through it.

"But I Can't Afford Therapy"

I hear this often. It makes sense—if money is the stressor, spending more money feels counterintuitive. But consider:

• Your benefits may have reset – If you have employer coverage, January often means fresh therapy coverage for the year.
• Many plans cover psychotherapy – Check your benefits for "Registered Psychotherapist" or "Mental Health Practitioner" coverage.
• Some therapists offer sliding scale – Rates based on ability to pay. It's worth asking.
• Untreated anxiety has costs too – Lost productivity, health impacts, strained relationships. Sometimes addressing the root issue saves money long-term.

Frequently Asked Questions