In Canada, 48% of adults report that financial stress negatively affects their mental health. Yet financial wellness is almost entirely absent from mainstream healthcare conversations. Your doctor will ask about your diet and exercise. She will almost certainly never ask about your debt.
The Physiology of Financial Stress
When you're worried about money, your body activates the same stress response as any other perceived threat. Sustained activation of this response:
- Suppresses immune function
- Disrupts sleep architecture
- Elevates inflammatory markers
- Impairs decision-making (particularly around financial decisions — a devastating irony)
- Increases risk of cardiovascular disease
The Poverty Trap and Cognitive Load
Researchers at Harvard and Princeton have demonstrated that the experience of scarcity — of money, time, or resources — consumes cognitive bandwidth. People experiencing financial hardship have measurably impaired cognitive performance, not because of their inherent capacity, but because financial anxiety occupies mental resources.
This explains why advice like "just budget better" can be so cruel and unhelpful.
What Genuine Financial Wellness Looks Like
It's not about being rich. It's about:
- Understanding where your money goes
- Having a small emergency fund (even $500 changes the stress equation dramatically)
- Addressing financial shame without judgment
- Accessing appropriate support — financial advisors, community resources, or counselling
Financial Wellness at FollowUp
We believe financial health is inseparable from overall wellness. Our financial wellness resources and provider network are designed to address the emotional and practical dimensions of your relationship with money.
