Many people feel the way you describe. You can find all kinds of support groups for people who feel burdened by debt. I went through the same thing -- mortgage

Many people feel the way you describe. You can find all kinds of support groups for people who feel burdened by debt. I went through the same thing -- mortgage I couldn't afford, kids, credit cards, car loans. I remember feeling crushed by the debt and responsibility, and having to work at jobs I didn't like so I could pay the bills. That happened through a series of my own poor decisions and mistaking "want" with "need," and I succumbed to family and social pressure to do the expected thing, to strive for the American Dream. I coped by knowing almost everyone else had the same problems (or worse). I looked forward to a life without debt eventually. The kids grew up and moved out, I sold the house, got everything paid off. Now I have no debt, travel full-time and live in hotels and short-term rentals, and only use credit cards to get the points. The usual advice comes down to controlling your spending and paying off your debts as fast as you can. For severe debt problems you can look into bankruptcy for a fresh start. Life doesn't last long enough to spend most of it working mainly to pay off debt.