Tag: anxiety

Categories
Mental Health

Money Worries and Mental Health

money and mental health

We are living in such turbulent times. So many things have happened which have put a strain on our pockets.  Years of poor government, benefit cuts, tax rises, Brexit, the pandemic, unaffordable housing, rising fuel costs, the cost of living crisis.  And now the war in Ukraine, making everything even more expensive.

Debt stress

Do you feel anxious when thinking about money?  Maybe you are having sleepless nights?  Are you eating less/overeating?  Do you feel isolated, sad, withdrawn and maybe even completely overwhelmed by financial worries?

If so, then you could be suffering from debt stress.  

Financial hardship is a major cause and risk factor for mental ill health.  As you sink into financial difficulties your mental health suffers.  And then you feel less able to deal with these financial matters.  And then this can spiral into chaos.  

I know, I’ve been there.  I left my job in the City due to poor mental and physical health.  Once my statutory sick pay ran out, I found myself on benefits.  Creditors were chasing payments I could no longer make and I ended up in a big mess which had a huge impact on my mental health for years to come.  This could all have been avoided with financial help which my bank just didn’t give.

Where to get help

There are lots of charities out there which can help you with debt, even before you get to the crisis stage.  Maybe with all these rising costs, you’re just worried about how you’re going to meet your payments in the near future?  If so you should really start to get some advice now.

There are many charities that can help and Mental Health UK (the sister charity to Rethink Mental Illness) has lots of great advice on mental health and money, from benefits to paying for mental health care.  I really like their budget planner.

The Money Advice Trust run the National Debt Line where you can get help to find solutions to your debt problems.

Step Change are a national charity who do great work and are fully committed to helping those in debt and who may be suffering with poor mental health. Highly recommended!

You can’t go wrong with the good old CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau).   

If you’re having problems with housing, Shelter are great.  I’ve used them recently and saved myself a few hundred pounds in solicitors fee’s (and sleepless nights).

Martin Lewis’s Money and Mental Health Policy Institute are doing great work aiming to change policy and help break the link between financial and mental health problems.

I also really like Money Nerd, lots of great tips and advice on a range of things.

If you’re suffering with poor mental health you should always seek professional help so go and see your GP. If however the source of your poor mental health is financial worries, you need to seek professional financial advice. The main thing is don’t be afraid to ask, there’s no shame and help is there.

Categories
Mental Health

Talking to Young People About Their Mental Health

It’s really important to normalise conversations about mental health with our children and delegates on our Youth MHFA courses often ask:

“How do I talk to young people about their mental health?”

“What language can I use and how can I get them to open up in the first place?”  

These are really good questions and there is no one simple answer but here are a few things to keep in mind.

Time the conversation

Nobody likes to see their child upset and it’s natural to want to dive in and try to fix it.  But sitting down with them and directly asking them about their feelings may cause further distress.  Children don’t always understand what’s happening to them and they may not have the language to describe their feelings, making it difficult for them to open up.  

One thing you can try is doing a fun activity with them and then start to talk about their feelings.  This may be colouring or lego with younger children, and maybe a physical activity such as a kick about or cooking a meal with older kids.  This takes the pressure off and can help start the conversation.

Use appropriate language

Always use kind and respectful language.  Don’t let your own stress colour the conversation. Think about what you’re saying and how you would feel if another adult said that to you.

Younger children probably won’t know what anxiety is though they may describe it as a tummy ache or my back hurts.  Use very simple sentences and age appropriate language.  You could say “ok, so on a scale of 1-10, ten is when you’re really, really happy and 1 is when you’re really, really sad, where are you now?”  Then you can maybe find out what are the things making them sad and what can we do to make them happier.

Not all children like to talk, but the conversation doesn’t have to be verbal.  You could try writing notes, email or text.

And if they really don’t want to talk to you, help them find someone else they can talk to.

Encourage peer support

Self-esteem is really important for good mental health so involving them and empowering them in any decisions about their wellbeing is a great thing to do.  In adolescence, young people become more withdrawn from their parents.  It’s just part of growing up.  Kids need to make their own decisions and their peers become the most important people.

Encouraging peer support therefore can be really useful.  People of their own age who may be experiencing similar things will be able to communicate using their own language.  Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter how ‘hip’ or ‘cool’ you were when you were younger you’re a dinosaur to a teenager.

Abbie Mitchell, peer mentoring manager at Fitzrovia Youth In Action says, “This program really brings conversations about mental health and looking out for each other to life for young people.  When discussions are had between youth of a similar age, using their language, vocabulary and creativity, there is something really special about the peer support that can take place.  Young people listening to each other, relating to one another and offering empathy in a designated safe and supportive space can really make a difference to how they talk about mental health, normalising conversations about it and also supporting them to feel able to reach out and get professional help if needed.”

Resources

Fitzrovia Youth In Action run peer mentoring, education and support programs which help normalise talking about poor mental health and empower young people to be able to take action, helping others and helping themselves.

Kooth is a fantastic online counselling and self-help app which young people find a really useful source of support.

Being a parent is a wonderful thing but also a stressful experience in itself, the NSPCC are there to support parents as well as children.

Young Minds parent helpline is specifically to help parents and is a fantastic resource too.

Learn more about supporting children’s mental health.

Categories
Mental Health

The Children’s Mental Health Crisis

children's mental health

Children’s mental health is in sharp decline.  The number of children likely to have a mental health problem has risen by 50% in the last three years from one in nine to one in six.  That’s five children in every classroom.

Not surprisingly, the pandemic has taken its toll on young people.  And an estimated quarter of a million children have struggled with the loss of their usual support mechanisms.  Not being able to see friends and family caused the most distress.

But even before the pandemic, there has been a worrying downward trend in children’s happiness.  The latest Good Childhood Report by the Children’s Society reported that an estimated 306,000 10-15 year olds in the UK are unhappy.  That’s over 76% more than ten years ago.  School life and worrying about appearance caused the most unhappiness. 

The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) follows the health and wellbeing of people born around the turn of the century.  The latest sweep of the MCS found that one in four 17 year olds had self-harmed in the last year and 7% had attempted suicide.  With numbers for young people attracted to the same or both genders much higher at 51% for self-harm and 19% for attempted suicide.

How can we support children’s mental health?

Half of all mental health problems manifest by the age of 14 and three quarters by age 18.  Early support is vital, but 75% of the young people who need help don’t get it.  Waiting lists for NHS treatments are long and 34% of those referred are not accepted for treatment as their condition is not considered severe enough.  But children should not have to wait until they are at crisis point to receive help.

Things you can do:

  • If you are a parent or carer worried about a child, talk to them, listen to them and let them know you can work through any issues together.   If they don’t want to talk, try text or email.
  • Speak to your GP for advice.
  • Write to your MP and support the Young Minds Fund the Hubs campaign to increase funding for early mental health and wellbeing hubs for young people.
  • Attend a Youth Mental Health First Aid course and learn more about supporting children’s mental health.
  • Supporting someone struggling with mental health is hard, so make sure you look after yourself.  Take some time every day to do something just for you. 

Categories
Mental Health

Mental Health at Work: Millennials and Generation Z

mental health at work

It may not come as much of a surprise that in a recent report by Deloitte on mental health at work, 48% of Millennials (born 1981-1996) and Generation Z (born 1997-2012) reported that they have felt more stressed since the start of the pandemic.  For many of us this has been a really difficult time.

Worryingly, despite more discussion about mental health in the media in the last 18 months, 60% have not felt able to tell their employers about their increase in stress or anxiety.  Which means that even among the younger workforce, mental health stigma endures.

31% of Millennials and 35% of Gen Zs have taken time off work for mental health reasons. But astonishingly 49% and 47% (respectively) of these have given their employer a different reason for their absence.  And for those who have never requested time off for mental health reasons, 46% and 51% of them said that they would not give their employer the real reason if they did. 

When you look at the figures above, it’s not surprising that one in four Millennials and Gen Zs feel that their employer is poor when it comes to supporting workers to be their true selves.  And nearly four in ten gave their employers a poor grade when it comes to supporting mental health during the pandemic. 

Fear of discrimination due to mental ill health in the workplace is still rife. With 50% of millennials and 53% of Gen Zs believing that this frequently happens.

Prioritising Mental Health at Work

As employees, socially conscious young people are demanding their concerns around mental health and inequality are addressed in the workplace.  In another recent report from The Purpose Pulse, Gen Z and Millennials are clear on diversity and inclusivity which includes mental health. 69% (almost 7 in 10) want employers to encourage them to bring their whole self to work.

Being authentic and being able to show or be your whole self includes being able to discuss concerns about mental health with your employer.  Psychological safety is one of five key elements that allow a team to excel.  Google’s Aristotle study found that when people feel safe and connected they work better together. 

The research also showed that 66% (two thirds) want to work for an organisation that actively promotes diversity and inclusion.

There are set to be rewards for brands that have a clear social purpose and a good record on workers rights.  Over two thirds of young people (68%) are looking to buy from brands that treat their employees well. With 61% saying a brand having a clear social purpose is important in their purchasing decisions. 

Just over two fifths (43%) of Millennials and Gen Z in the UK have boycotted a company over the past 12 months because they don’t agree with their values or behaviour. This is an increase of 9% from last year.

Clearly more needs to be done to end the stigma around mental ill health.  Employers must now make mental health a priority to ensure that workers can be their whole self and to help strike a better work-life balance.

The rewards for doing this are clear.  Not only a happier, healthier and more productive work force but also a more positive image for customers too.

Categories
Mental Health

Sleep and Mental Health

Good sleep is vital to good mental and physical health

Sleep is essential for maintaining good health.  The odd sleepless night may affect your whole day, but consistently not getting enough sleep can have a serious impact on your mental health.  It can affect your ability to concentrate and make good decisions.  It can make you irritable and impatient.  It can cause anxiety and depression and increase your chances of other mental health conditions.  Conversely, having poor mental health can lead to problems with sleep.  It can become a never ending cycle.

In my work as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist, one of the main ways I’ve been able to help people is by helping them to sleep and to sleep properly.

What do I mean by sleep properly?

It’s not just how much sleep we get, but the quality of that sleep.  Some of us need more sleep than others but generally most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per day.  It’s normal to wake in the night, maybe to go to the loo, but if you can’t get back to sleep quickly, then you may not get enough rest.  The golden rule is that you should awake feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

Many people, however, fall asleep exhausted and wake up feeling tired.  This means that they’re not nourished from their sleep and they may rely on coffee or other stimulants to get through the day.  Others may find it hard to get to sleep in the first place because of worry.  Then if they do sleep it may only be for a couple of hours and they wake unable to fall asleep again.  Some complain of grinding teeth, dental problems, headaches and pain in their jaw when they wake.

So how can you improve the quality of your sleep?

With my clients, I often use movement synchronised with the breath, most likely in a supine position.  I might combine this with long held (gentle) stretches.  After this I may use relaxation techniques such PMR (progressive muscle relaxation), conscious breathing (pranayama) and restorative yoga postures, followed by a long savasana (yoga relaxation pose) where I will give a guided relaxation technique called yoga nidra (sleep of the yogis).

Many people have never experienced such deep relaxation and when they do they want more of it.  It’s like they finally have permission to relax.

Try my yoga nidra for sleep. Do it for five consecutive days and see what difference it makes to your happiness, health and wellbeing.