“Money Happens,” a series from The Associated Press, spotlighted how student loan debt can spill into mental health, relationships and daily budgeting. In the episode, Justene Bologna described carrying more than $200,000 in debt after completing college and master’s degrees, and said the financial burden has also affected her well-being. She said it has brought “severe stress and anxiety,” and the debt worries extend beyond her finances into how she manages basic needs and personal relationships.
Bologna also described additional financial pressure after giving birth to twins a few years ago, saying she accumulated medical debt as well. The episode frames her situation as an example of how overlapping obligations can make it harder to afford day-to-day items such as groceries, and can also strain relationships when financial stress persists.
The segment includes guidance from Helen Colby, a professor at Indiana University. Colby focused on practical strategies aimed at reducing the mental loop that debt can create, while still encouraging people to keep moving toward repayment plans.
One recommendation Colby offered is to set specific times to avoid thinking about debt. She said, “Sometimes we can give ourselves permission to stop worrying about those other things and focus on the big picture if we delineate the time,” describing the approach as a way to create mental space. Colby also suggested that when people step back, they may consider longer-range options such as pivoting careers to earn more or moving to a cheaper city to reduce rent as part of a path toward paying off loans, while acknowledging that borrowers may be under stress as they make those assessments.
The episode also introduces what Colby called “mental bootstrapping,” an approach for coping when the idea of sitting down to review debt amounts feels overwhelming. She explained the concept by saying it involves pairing something uncomfortable with a reward or a pleasurable activity, adding, “It’s this idea that, if you’re going to do something you really don’t want to do, either giving yourself a reward afterwards or doing something fun and then going to do that thing that you really don’t want to do.”
As an example, the episode described rewarding a planning step with a feel-good activity: watching one hour of a favorite show before reviewing a budget, or treating yourself to dessert after spending a couple of hours making a plan to pay off debt. The series portrays the pairing of enjoyment and task completion as a way to make repayment goals feel more achievable even when anxiety is present.
A third tip in the episode centers on social support. Colby said borrowers can feel isolated because debt struggles are often kept private, and she described a pattern where people hide their financial difficulties from family, friends or even their boss. She said, “In many situations, I talk with people and their family doesn’t know they’re struggling, their friends don’t know, their boss doesn’t know,” and added that borrowers do not necessarily have to share everything to get support. Colby said sharing “as much or as little of your financial concerns as you feel comfortable with can help alleviate some of the stress that you feel.”
The episode also notes that student loan payments resumed after pandemic pauses, and said that more than 40 million Americans began repaying federal student loans. It ties that shift to a broader environment in which the rising cost of living, alongside other forms of debt, is causing difficulties for many people, including those whose loan repayment is affecting their mental health.