How to Stop Debt Overwhelming You

Lucy Miller 9th Sep 2025 4 Comments

Reading Time: 3 minutes

When it comes to general anxiety and stress, money is one of the things that can really put us on edge. It’s understandable: money (or lack of it) plays into every part of our lives. Worries over it can lead to the emergence of poor mental health very, very quickly. In fact, the two are inexorably linked. So, how can we stop debt overwhelming ourselves? What resources are there out there to help?

Here, we’ve pulled together a few ideas and resources that you can utilise to stop money worries taking over your life. Read on for a few suggestions…

Remember: There is No Shame in Debt
Draw Up a Budget
Organise Your Debts
Consider Contract Work
Seek Debt Advice

Remember that there is no shame in debt

Debt is something that we, as Brits, often feel uncomfortable talking about. The truth, though, is that if you do speak about it you’re likely to realise that more people than you expect are also negatively affected. And with COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, soaring inflation and the cost of living adding to our stresses, this situation is likely all too familiar to huge numbers of people.

It’s important to realise that there is no shame in debt, that you’re not alone in it, and (mostly importantly) that it’s not a failure on your part. Realising these things is the first step in your journey to stopping debt overwhelming yourself. Read our guide about where to find free, confidential debt advice to seek professional help.

Stop debt overwhelming you by drawing up a budget

Yes, a basic one – but one that’s important, nonetheless. If you’ve been in a well paid job, maybe you haven’t had to budget too much. Maybe those credit card bills were easy to pay back every month, without many constraints being put on your finances. Or maybe you’ve simply never been able to catch a break and earn enough money to not build up debt with basic bills (especially in the cost of living crisis).

The first step to making a budget is to look at your regular outgoings, and consider cutting back on things that aren’t completely essential. Prioritise your bills and rent/mortgage, but also any debts that you have. At the very least, knowing exactly the amount that you need to cover your family’s expenses each month will get you on the front foot, avoiding you sliding further into debt and/or finding yourself becoming overwhelmed.

Organise your debts

If you’ve got debts in a few different places, it can be hard to know which you should pay off first. The key to this, though, is knowing which debts are costing you the most money. You might be surprised to find that it’s not always the highest debt. In fact, a debt that initially seems lower might be costing you more due to the amount of interest that you could be paying on it.

So, how should you go about this? First, work out how much each debt is costing you in terms of interest or other charges. Then list them, in descending order. You should pay off the most expensive debt first (required minimum payments aside, of course). As you make extra payments on the most expensive debt, you’ll reduce the amount it’s costing you. When this debt is paid off, move on to the second most expensive – and so on. It might seem counter intuitive to not pay off the largest debt first, but this is the method that will cost you the least in the long-term.

You might find that a consolidation loan will help reduce your interest payments and make it easier to control your budget. They’re not for everyone though, so read our guide on consolidation loans before deciding to opt for one. For those who own a property, find out about equity release here.

Stop debt overwhelming you by seeking debt advice

As we’ve mentioned, discussing debt is something that we should all be doing more openly. Keeping quiet about it is a recipe to finding ourselves becoming overwhelmed. If you’re finding yourself worrying, or if you’d just like to speak to an expert, you should consider seeking out some free debt advice. We’ve written about this in our free debt advice guide. Seeking expert help is the first way to stop debt overwhelming you – we promise!