Feel anxious having money and need to spend it all ASAP - is this common?

[Jungleblur]

I budget meticulously but as soon as I get paid I’m filled with anxiety and can’t stop thinking about the money in my bank. I pay all my bills and try to ignore/save what’s left but after a few hours it becomes completely overwhelming and I have to find go and find things to buy so that I have no money to manage, only then can I relax and feel calm.

I think I might have OCD so I’m not sure if it could be related to that, but wanted to know if anyone else deals with money in this way? I know most people are in debt so I wondered if maybe this was a common feeling. There’s no FOMO or being bad with money though, I just feel totally uncomfortable having money.

It’s affecting my life really badly for obvious reasons, it means that I can’t save and I’m often left unable to afford food or have nothing left for petrol because I just had to get it out of my bank.

Anyone ever dealt with this, or have any idea how I can overcome it?

Mental health services are abysmal in my area. You wait over a year to get 6 sessions of CBT so I’ve seen two therapists so far over the years. The first was very dismissive and insisted that all I had to do was think positive thoughts, and the second would talk about herself all session so I couldn’t get a word in! So I’ve given up with that for now.

I’ve also got physical health conditions which mean that SSRI’s don’t agree with me, I have tried really hard to seek help over the years.l but there just isn’t any there. I started private therapy which was alright but she wouldn’t let me pay in advance and I couldn’t keep hold of my money long enough to pay her every week.

I’m going to invest in some premium bonds today though and I’ve opened an account that I won’t have online access to, so thank you to everyone who’s suggested that

Can you self refer to online talking therapies? You need to see having money in the account as a positive situation, not to panic buy.

F

Nd OCD and have the same

One suggestion that sprung to mind.. could you spend some of the money on a gift card for a supermarket? So say you bought a £50 Asda card (or whatever is close to you) then you could hide it away/give it to someone to put away. And then towards the end of the month you'd have it for food shopping!?

Victoria Moran wrote about doing something similar, and I think she said in one of her books “broke felt safe in a way that [[having money] didn’t”.

the line resonated with me, as perhaps why you do this, OP?

if so, maybe check out her books. I think this was in the financial part of “Fat, Broke & Lonely no more!” (Don’t let the title put you off).