Holiday shopping is upon us. All the gifts and last minute deals are starting to rack up your credit card debt and drain your savings.

Your intentions are good—You’re buying needed things at a sale price and showing love through gifts. But you may also be noticing a growing stress about money. Maybe you’ve gone over budget on a few items or caved on things that you didn’t plan to buy. Or maybe you and your spouse have different views on gift-giving and what is appropriate.

7 Ways Your Mental Health may be Affected by Holiday Spending:

1. Stress—Your gift list is long and you feel pressure to buy for the bus driver, neighbours, everyone. You don’t know where to draw the line. Or maybe you’re well within budget and still feel stress about people liking your gifts or buying them all on time.
2. Anxiety—Your body tenses when you think about all the purchases you’ve made or necessities that still need to be purchased.
3. Obsession—Maybe you’re micro-managing your spouse’s spending because your own has gone overboard. Or perhaps you’re cashing in all your chips—cash stashes, coupons, gift cards—desperate to buy that special gift for your kid.
4. Behavioural Changes—You’re up at 4am in line at a box store for a gift card giveaway or up till midnight so you can catch a deal. Maybe you’re ditching work to get in some more shopping.
5. Sleep—All the hype about your purchases is keeping you up at night leaving you groggy, irritable and caffeine-dependent.
6. Denial—You’re not thinking about your financial health, you’ll let the reality sink in when January comes.
7. Addiction—You’re gambling more hoping to win enough cash to cover your spendings. Or you’re spending free time hunting for deals on your phone instead of pursuing activities that benefit your mental health.

Improve your mental health this season:

It’s not too late to put on the brakes. Maybe even return a few items or shave down the buying list to close friends/family. Perhaps holiday meals can be a little simpler this year. Or, you could buy second-hand gifts or focus on heartfelt homemade items.

Simplifying holiday spending may be the easiest way to improve your money mental health. If spending feels out of control, consider a cash diet or asking a friend for accountability.

Get help.

If the anxiety and stress are persisting, you could talk with a counsellor about ways to manage and cope. We’re here to help. You can reach out to one of our therapists to explore your thoughts and find strategies to improve your mental health.

To book a session you can visit our online platform. Or, you can call our 24/7 reception at 705-300-0077.



Photo by: Harold Winjholds on Unsplash