It is vital that you pay off your debt.  I’m not just talking about your finances.  I’m talking about your own emotional and relational well being.  One of the biggest causes of depression is being neck deep in debt.  Actually, having any debt at all can really get someone down for a long period of time.

It causes relational stresses too.  The number 1 reason marriages fail is due to financial pressures.  This is a documented fact.  If you’ve ever been in a relationship and going through a financial crisis, you know first hand the stresses it causes.  So here are some ways that you can pay off debt aggressively.  Some are conventional methods you have probably heard about and others are not.

Looking Debt Straight in the Face

The first thing you need to do is face reality.  So many people hide the amount of debt that they have.  Some don’t acknowledge it at all.  It causes too much stress for them so they prefer to just avoid it and be in denial.  The problem with this strategy is that it does not help your situation at all.  It makes it worse.

If you are going to get out of debt, you first need to know how much it is.  Then you need to face the fact that you have it and figure out a plan to get out.  If you can’t even face your own reality, paying off debt will be really hard.

Cut Your Expenses!

I know, this is so obvious.  But the reality is that people don’t do it.  In fact, one of the main reasons you should face your debt situation head on is that it will emotionally keep you from buying stuff, especially stuff you don’t need.

This is going to be very difficult for some people because they are addicted to buying stuff.  It’s called retail therapy.  It’s a really coping method.  People who are depressed make themselves feel better by going out and buying stuff.

Find a Part Time Job or Home Based Business

If you want to pay off deb aggressively, you need to find extra money.  You could make an extra $1,000 a month part time.  Just think about if you were able to pay of at least $12,000 a year on your debt.  For many people, this would be enough, combined with cutting costs, to get them out of debt in just 2-3 years.  Can you imagine, being out of debt in that time?

Emotional Intensity

The last and most important thing you need is emotional intensity.  You really have to hate debt to really get out of it.  Remember that debt is more an emotional thing than anything else.

This post was writte by David Jones.  He is the managing editor of Finance World, a website about investing and personal finance.