How financial problems can impact your mental health and five ways to fix it.

We are being impacted by financial stress in many different ways. Some struggle to make ends meet, provide for their families, or keep their homes in good condition. While some people care about their fundamental requirements, others use their funds to cover indulgences.

Unsurprisingly, rising financial stress is generating distress. Lifeline has noticed an increase in calls reporting financial concerns in recent months. Yet, recognizing our financial stress and figuring out strategies to lessen it might help make this difficult time easier.

What exactly is financial stress?

You are experiencing financial stress if it is tough to pay your current bills or are concerned about your present or future financial situation. Similar to other forms of stress, financial stress consists of two elements:

Objective financial hardship, where you lack the resources to pay your debts or meet required expenses

Subjective beliefs about your present or future financial situation cause anxiety and unhappiness.

They are connected. But someone can struggle with paying their bills, accept this, and not worry too much. Alternatively, someone may be quite financially secure but still feel anxious about their circumstances.

We're experiencing it, but why?

A wide range of variables may influence your present degree of financial stress. These include ones that are personal and contextual.

Social influences on the existing financial landscape are known as contextual factors. They comprise wealth distribution, market performance, governmental and political policy, and economic growth rates. These elements could differ between cultures and nations.

Each person has particular personal elements that contribute to stress. For instance, demographic factors like age, gender, education level, and ethnicity may affect someone's ability to access financial resources.

Financial knowledge and practices, personality qualities that affect behavior and perceptions, and significant life events with financial ramifications are additional human elements that might affect financial stress (such as marriage, having a child, or retiring).

Serious health effects can result.

High financial stress levels can negatively impact people's well-being, increasing psychological distress, anxiety, and despair.

According to research, those with low earnings are most at risk for developing depression, and there is strong evidence between financial stress and depression.

According to a large poll of adults in the United States, more psychological suffering was linked to financial problems. This was particularly true for renters, unweds, jobless individuals, and people with lower income levels. So, those who are objectively more financially fragile are also more prone to suffer from the negative psychological repercussions of financial stress.

But it also affects how people view your financial condition. One study of older adults, including Australians, found a link between wealth satisfaction and wellness and the relationship between a person's financial condition.

Extreme financial stressors, like selling your home because you can't make your mortgage payments, can impact your mental and physical health.

How can I handle it?

There are several easy strategies to assist in lessening financial stress and its effects, even when we can't change the larger financial landscape or some parts of our condition.

1. Move gradually

Even if they are little ones, try to discover areas of your finances that can be improved and take some of them on. This could entail making and sticking to a budget, eliminating unnecessary expenses, requesting financial aid, obtaining estimates for less expensive utilities or insurance, or thinking about changing careers. Over time, even small adjustments can help your financial situation. Taking action can enhance well-being by giving you a stronger sense of agency in a challenging situation.

2. Review your opinion of the problem.

Consider your viewpoint. Do you frequently focus on the drawbacks of your circumstance while dismissing the advantages? Do you frequently worry about improbable disasters that will likely never occur? It's important to assess how accurate and fair your perceptions of your financial condition are.

3. Be gentle with yourself.

Your financial situation does not reflect your value; stress might increase if you become overly preoccupied. Only some elements that contribute to financial issues are within your control. Feelings of grief, humiliation, or guilt might be lessened by reminding yourself that your finances do not determine who you are.

4. Look after yourself

Dealing with constant financial stress is exhausting. Therefore concentrate on self-care and coping mechanisms that have served you well. This could entail relaxing, practicing meditation or deep breathing, interacting with people, and engaging in enjoyable activities. Giving oneself the go-ahead to take this time might enhance your welfare, perspective, and mood.

5. Request help

Get assistance if you are experiencing psychological or financial difficulty. Support could come in the form of aid or advice for managing finances. Reach out to friends and family and get treatment from a mental health professional if you find that you are feeling depressed, worried, or hopeless regularly.