Debt is a common problem for most Americans, but it turns out it’s more than just a way of life – it’s something that can negatively affect your health.

Here are some of the ways debt may be impacting you physically and mentally.

It’s Stressing Out Your Relationships

Whether you’re fighting with your spouse constantly about money or you’ve caused a rift in your family by not paying your parents back some money they’ve loaned you, finances are a sure-fire way to get between even the closest of relationships.

If you notice a strain in one or more of your relationships because of money, it’s time to take a hard look at your priorities. Figuring out a workable way to pay off your debt, such as the debt snowball method, will help you create better relationships with the people in your life.

It’s Causing Anxiety

If you’re worried it’s a bill collector every time your phone rings, you’re putting yourself through a crazy amount of anxiety you don’t need in your life. Anxiety creates stress and constantly elevated stress levels can contribute to illness.

Squaring those accounts away so you don’t face that anxiety and stress anymore would be in your best interest.

It Can Increase Your Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure level is a good indicator of your heart health. High blood pressure shows you might be at an elevated chance of having a stroke or a cardiac event, like a heart attack.

A study has shown that, even among younger Americans, people with high debt, especially those with few assets, had higher blood pressure.

It Can Contribute to Depression

No matter what your age, feeling your finances are out of control can quickly lead to depression. There are things that influence depression that are sometimes completely out of your control, such as your overall health, the health of your loved ones, and all the conflict in the world.

But your finances are one area you can control if you work hard enough. Instead of allowing the depression to overtake you, you can try to come up with a workable solution to your finances.

If you’re older and your children have already moved out of your house, you can downsize to potentially pay off debts or at least decrease your house or rent payments each month. If you don’t feel you can handle your financial issues by yourself, you can ask a family member to help you sort them out or consult with a debt consolidator.

It Can Prevent You From Seeking Medical Care

Many people skip doctor appointments because they can’t afford to go to them. It’s hard to justify the cost when you already owe what feels like an insurmountable amount of money. But skipping a doctor’s appointment could prove deadly – a treatable condition may spiral into something life-threatening.

Some people also opt not to fill needed prescriptions because they don’t feel they have the money to pay for their medicine. That can also have dire consequences on their health.

Kids learn a lot in school, but to say it completely prepares them for life would be stretching it. A school does little to teach children about their finances or how to handle them.

If you want your child to have a healthy relationship with money and to have their best start at a bright future, you should pencil in a night to talk to them about how to manage their finances.

Here are some of the lessons you should incorporate.

Avoiding Credit Card Debt

Credit cards can submarine your child’s financial future in the blink of an eye. A month or two of irresponsible spending might take years for them to pay off – if they don’t try to sucker you into doing it for them.

Before they apply for their first credit card, which could be the day they arrive at college because credit card companies will start sending them offers at an alarming rate, you need to have a heart-to-heart talk with them. Go over the dangers of credit cards with them and spare no details. If you’ve had awful credit card debt in the past, tell them about it. Let them know it can sneak up on you quickly.

Investing for their Golden Years

Teenagers aren’t known for thinking about the future. Retirement can seem a lifetime away – and it is. But as adults, we know how quickly those years will sneak by. And before they know it, your kids will have missed out on the best investing years of their lives.

Urge them to join a 401k or start an IRA as soon as they can. Show them what the magic of compound interest will do. They’ll be intrigued to see they could be a millionaire with very little effort.

How to Pay for College

If your child is college bound, let them know how much you can afford to chip in. You don’t want them thinking you’re going to bankroll the whole thing if you’re not. And you don’t want them learning about it after they get into the school of their dreams and realize they don’t have enough money to attend.

Start talking with them about college and finances in their early high school years. They might realize a job would be in their best interest so they can start saving. Or maybe they’ll buckle down and work on their grades in the hope of getting a scholarship. The point is, they need time to come up with a workable plan.

The Dangers of Peer Pressure

Trying to keep up with their friends’ spending habits may lead to a lifetime of debt and misery for your child. Let them know that material objects won’t make them happy or make people think they’re any cooler.

What’s really cool is staying out of debt and having plenty of money for travel and a home eventually.

Why They Should Have an Emergency Fund

Don’t let your child forget about the importance of saving for a rainy day. That’s different from their retirement accounts and they need to realize it.

They should aim to save up somewhere between three to six months of expenses to handle any emergencies they could face.