Take our Burnout Test

Find a therapist to overcome stress

Financial stress is the most persistent stressor people face across the lifespan.

A mind preoccupied by money worries is poorly equipped to solve money problems.

Aligning daily financial behavior with personal values can create a buffer against chronic financial stress.

Reflecting on why we earn is one of the simplest and most underused tools in financial psychology.

It was a Tuesday morning. I was pouring cereal and mentally rehearsing my packed schedule when my eight-year-old, Sam, looked up from his bowl.

“So how much money do you earn each month?” he asked, as casually as if he’d asked about the weather.

I paused, spoon halfway to my mouth. “Hmm. Enough, I guess. For food and housing and our hobbies. And travel, of course.”

He tilted his head. “So, that’s what you do with that, nothing else?”

“Well, there are other things, of course, but those are the main things. I do save a bit as well.” I was starting to feel like I was being interviewed for a job I wasn’t sure I was qualified for.

Sam nodded slowly, then continued: “So this is the reason you go to work every day and your shoulders ache and you complain that you are so busy all the time?”

“Yes, so?” The defensiveness in my voice surprised even me.

He shrugged, but his words........

© Psychology Today