Tax time is a cause for stress and anxiety for so many people. When you also have an anxiety disorder, it can make those feelings 10x worse. A decade ago I would put off doing my taxes until the last possible moment and then I’d spend the next month in an anxious state because I was sure the IRS was going to show up and tell me that I did my taxes wrong, no matter how irrational I knew that was!
I thought I’d share some tips for anyone else battling tax time anxiety because….
Guess what I did yesterdaaaaaaay? And I can’t tell you what a relief it was. Up until the last few years, doing my taxes stressed me out. I’d wait until the last minute. From the time I got my W-2 until the time I made myself do them, I’d think about it — freak out —- get nauseous —— obsess over it for 24 hours —- avoid. avoid. avoid. And for weeeeeeks it would happen again, getting progressively worse while the deadline approached.
It’s been that way since I became an adult and once I started having to do the taxes for Blessing Manifesting, it just got so much worse. There’s more room to make mistakes, I always owe and that just makes my fancy money-anxiety go crazy, and I have to battle anxiety symptoms the whole time. So no fun.
But tax-time anxiety is super common, so you’re not alone!
Here are some tips on managing the anxiety!
❤️️ Don’t be afraid to have someone do your taxes for you or invest in a good program to help you!
❤️️ Work on your taxes over a few days if you find it overwhelming.
❤️️ Get organized before you start, that way when you start it will be a quicker process.
❤️️ Schedule a day to do them and then stick to it.
❤️️ Have good background noise like music or a happy show.
❤️️ Take a break when you need one.
❤️️ Ask your partner or a family member to look it over for you.
❤️️ If you panic and don’t get your taxes done in time, instead of ignoring it, file an extension.
❤️️ Plan an epic day of self-care when you’re done. You deserve someone to rub your feet while you eat ice cream.
I invested in Quickbooks which really really helped on a lot of levels and if you have your own business, I recommend it, and I started making myself face it. I do them early, on one of my days off, and I make sure that I celebrate after. It’s such a relief to get them over with instead of spending 2.5 months in varying states of anxiety.
Do you get anxiety around doing your taxes?
Also, don’t forget to check out my anxiety workbook!
Your tax list helps a lot. Taxes and filing are my dreaded to-do’s. Hate, hate, hate them! I am not at all financially savvy and have an accountant, but my family has a small business, so it is such a headache! I always put it off, file an extension, and work on it so slooooowwwllly. Well, this year I have made it a resolution to get taxes done (sent to the accountant) on time!
Tax return filing is indeed a toughest part for me as I am very little interested financial matters. I seek help of my CA (chartered accountant) to manage my tax filing. In any case the tax seems like a burden, though it is necessary to pay it for the development of your country. Income tax return filing gives extra stress when it comes to is unorganized, unplanned expenses. My CA asks me to keep track of every penny I spend through the year and it seems like a TASK!
Anyways, your article is really helpful and highlights a very common issue faced by many individuals. Thanks for pointing this out!