It's normal to worry about money

Be aware of the ways money can impact your mental health and cause worry.

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Introduction 1. How you feel about money 2. Tips for mental wellbeing

Introduction to 'It's normal to worry about money'

It’s healthy to think about money. We can plan our spending and work out our budgets this way. But sometimes, our thoughts turn to worries. That’s normal, too.

In this lesson, we’ll talk about what what can make you feel this way. We'll look at different types of money worries and give you some ideas to help you manage them.

What you'll learn

  • What money worries look like.
  • Tips to help yourself and others who have these worries.

How long it takes

6 minutes

Chapter 1 - How you feel about money

How you feel about money

Chapter 1

How long it takes

2 minutes

The links between money and mental wellbeing

Your money and your mental health are linked. When we're feeling well mentally, we feel able to manage our lives. This includes managing our money. If our mental wellbeing takes a dip, it can get harder to do this.

Plus, if our finances are healthy, this can have a good effect on our mental health. Money problems can make us feel stressed or anxious.

How do you feel about money?

Take a moment to ask yourself:

  • Does money make you feel confident or nervous?
  • Does money make you feel relaxed or stressed?
  • Do you talk about money openly with family, or do you struggle to speak up?
  • Do you avoid money problems, or do you see them as an everyday challenge?

Next, try to pinpoint what it is about money that makes you feel like this. For example, does talking about money make you feel anxious, or does working out a budget cause you stress?

Idea

Try keeping a diary of your money and your mood. Keeping track of what you buy, and how you felt before and after buying, might help you work out why you're spending. 

Note down how you feel after spending money, managing money or speaking with your bank. This can help you find out what money activities have an effect on your mood.

What money worries look like

People with money worries may sleep too much or too little, or have no energy. Their mood might change, making them feel forgetful, on edge or panicky. It could affect their social lives. Some people experience changes to their physical health, too.  

Sometimes we rely on unhealthy coping mechanisms such as smoking, drinking or shopping, to avoid thinking about money. 

Do you recognise these in yourself or someone you know? Our next chapter has tips that may help.

Introduction - It's normal to worry about money
Chapter 2 - Tips for mental wellbeing

Tips for mental wellbeing

Chapter 2

How long it takes

4 minutes

The impact of money worries

For many people, it's difficult to talk, or even think, about money. We've talked about the different ways that this can look like. Now let's look at some of these, plus ideas on what can help.

 

What's important to you? Select the options to find out more

 

  • If you do feel like this, it can also make you feel less motivated to manage any money problems you have. This in turn can lead to further debt. 

    There are lots of free tools online you can use to help your mental health, such as stress management videos or meditation courses. For information about managing mental health, visit the Mental Health UK website.

    Mental Health UK has created a wellbeing plan (PDF, 172 KB) that you can use to understand what your triggers are, and what you can do to feel better. 

    Learning to budget can be a helpful way to plan ways out of money issues. If this would help you, or someone you know, try our Budgeting lessons. You can also use online budgeting tools to get started, like the MoneyHelper budgeting tool and a budgeting tool from Citizens Advice. 

    Be aware

    If you're experiencing extreme mood swings or feel unable to cope, speak to your doctor or healthcare provider.

  • Feeling low or sad might lead to overspending on things such as food, clothes or gifts as a way of feeling better. 

    Sometimes when you do this, it leads to impulsive purchases or decisions, leading to debt. 

    You may find that coping tools such as meditation, mental exercises and physical activity can help to manage these feelings and help with overspending.

  • Gambling often starts as fun or a release from everyday life and mental health issues. But it can quickly lead to money problems if lots of money is being lost. 

    Online gambling accounts now have features such as account freezes and gambling limits to help stop gambling addiction and money problems. Your bank can also help by applying money freezes and limits on your bank account if it will help. 

    More on this topic

    The BeGambleAware site has advice and tools to help keep people safe from gambling harms.

  • Addiction to drugs or alcohol can hurt your physical and mental health. It can also be a cause of debt and money problems. 

    If you or someone you know is affected by this, seek help from your doctor or healthcare provider.

  • It's normal to be concerned about online fraud or scams. Someone who feels down or anxious may be more likely to become a victim of fraudsters because they're vulnerable. 

    Knowing whether this affects you can help you plan and protect yourself against fraud and reduce the chances of being caught in a scam. 

    Want to find out more on how to protect yourself online? Our Stay safe online lessons have plenty of tips and advice.

Supporting others with money worries

It can be hard to know what to do if someone you know and care about has money worries. Here are some ideas that could help you support them.

 

Use the arrows to move through our tips:

Listen

Listening is powerful. Without trying to solve problems or provide answers, just being there for someone who is struggling can make a huge difference. Listening without judgement can help the person you know feel better. 

It might feel daunting to talk about these things, so Mental Health UK (PDF, 390 KB) have created a one-page guide.

Offer practical help

You don't need to offer solutions or fix everything – but helping with simple tasks like shopping or tidying up can ease the pressure for someone who's feeling down or stressed.

Take a break

Working through feelings of stress and anxiety can be lonely and upsetting. Having fun can give someone a break for a while and help them relax. 

It doesn't have to be big! Choose something they would enjoy which won't put any pressure on them, like a quiz, a game or a movie. 

Get expert advice

If money issues are making someone you know feel down, suggest getting advice from Citizens Advice, a free debt advice service or their bank. Or you could offer to get advice for them. 

Stopping money problems from getting worse will help them in the long term. 

Suggest professional help

Sometimes our mental wellbeing needs more help to recover. This kind of problem is common and treatable – there is nothing to be ashamed of. The sooner the person you know seeks mental health advice, the faster they can feel better. 

Try suggesting that you go with them to see a professional, so that they have your support. 

These feelings won't last forever

When you're experiencing money worries, it may seem like things will never get better. But there is lots of help available. With the right support, you can recover, start to get back in control of your money and feel well again.

We've explored some ideas that can help. Want more information about how your bank and other organisations can help? Check out our Get support with money worries lesson.

Chapter 1 - How you feel about money

Want to learn more?

Money worries

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Get support with money worries

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Lloyds Bank Academy is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Lloyds Bank does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 3rd December 2025.

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