Reddit users recently sought advice on how to stop thinking about money non-stop.
Users explained that it is difficult to avoid locking it down to personal finances. Comparing yourself to others can be attractive.
Other users jumped in by talking to therapists, finding new hobbies, returning to social media, and providing tips on how to save money for an adequate safety net.
Financial experts say focusing on your own financial plan is the best way to avoid overthinking what others are doing.
Make a plan
“Something about planning puts a lot of stress,” says Dwayne Reinike, certified financial planner in Kirkland, Washington and founder of Valiant Financial Planning.
Like writing everything down on your to-do list, he says creating a basic financial plan can help you relax by making sleep easier at night. The plan can include budgets, retirement goals, and other savings goals.
You may hear concerns about a market decline or recession.
Choose one goal to focus
Stephanie Loeffel, founder of Ascend Financial in the Boston area, says choosing one goal to focus gives you stronger control over your financial life, including setting limits for saving and spending your home.
If you don’t have a goal to guide you, she says, then it’s easy to bounce between different ideas based on the news of the day. If interest rates drop, you may wonder if you should buy a house. If the stock market fluctuates, you may question whether it’s time to shift retirement investments.
She recommends you go into zero about what you have control over: your own spending, savings and other financial habits.
“It’s easier to remove emotions from the equation and not get carried away by the noise around you,” says Lofel.
Specify a specific time to focus on your money
By making time to map your financial plans at least once a year, you can ease your mind for the rest of your time.
Use that time to think about what you want to achieve with your money. You can also set short-term and long-term goals, says Reinike.
“If you have an emergency fund set up and you have automated telling, you can go for a year without thinking about it,” he says. (Speed check-in can be performed throughout the year to check for errors.)
Similarly, retirement savings accounts with automatic tellerships from pay don’t need to be constantly monitored.
If unexpected events pop up, such as new babies or unemployment, you can revisit those plans and adjust them. Otherwise, you can maintain your current course.
“People tend to make changes when they’re really happy or really upset. That’s not the time to make changes, it’s the time to stick to plans you’ve already established,” says Reinike.
Increase your savings and pay off your debts
Another way to gain more control over your finances is to save money and double your debt repayments, says Loeffel. Many of her clients are surprised at their costs as they start tracking them.
Monitoring your cash flow for six months is a good place to start. After that, you will make adjustments to achieve your goal of ultimately putting around 10% in savings. It will help build an emergency fund.
“When you get the emergency fund, you’re not that vulnerable,” says Lofel.
This makes it easier to worry about negative events that could hurt your finances.
“There’s cushioning and control, which takes away that emotional vulnerability,” she says.
Similarly, paying off your debt is something you can control. You can plan to pay off your debts – perhaps using the avalanche or snowman method, then look at your progress as weeks pass, says Loeffel.
The avalanche law involves paying debts at the highest interest rate first. The snowball method refers to building momentum by first paying off the smallest debt balance.
Avoid comparing with others
“Compare with you yesterday, not everyone else,” suggests Reinike.
Just like in sports, you need to strive for your personal best – not necessarily doing better than others.
Based on social media, you cannot compare your financial situation with others. Reinikehe should not tell you the whole post or how people fund their lifestyle.
“Everyone’s journey is individualized.”
Reddit is an online forum where users share their thoughts in “threads” on a variety of topics. Popular sites contain a lot of discussion about financial subjects like preservation and budgeting, so I sifted through the Reddit forum and got a pulse check. People post anonymously, so they cannot check their individual experiences or circumstances.
Kimberly Palmer writes for Nald Wallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer.
Article asked on Reddit: How to stop appearing in Nerdwallet even after being obsessed with Money.
Original release: May 30, 2025, 12:47pm EDT
