How To Improve Your Mental Health While Broke

There is no sugarcoating it. Even if you are mentally well, there are times where all of us confess to experiencing a bit of anxiety and/or depression in particular. According to the World Health Organization, both anxiety and depression has increased by 25% since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and understandably so. Our movements became restricted, and the way that we all lived, worked, and played suddenly changed almost as quickly as soap removes dirt.

To say that rapid worldwide changes sparked the topic of mental health as a popular talking point would be a mammoth understatement, and therefore that all makes sense.

According to The World Economic Forum (whether you like them or not, that is for another time), global Google searches for mental health treatment and support reached the highest levels in 2021, and that was only a short few years ago.

There is an increasing pool of neuro-divergent people among Millennials, Gen Z, and the Alpha generation in particular. Being unable to concentrate thanks to screen time or otherwise is only superficial on the surface. Some year 11 & 12 students in Sydney, Australia (where yours truly lives) need rest breaks in small group exam settings in completing their Preliminary and HSC exams; yet while I was in years 11 & 12, you just had to suck it up; even if you entered the large examinations room with a migraine like headache.

Generations aside, it is fair to say that everyone at some point has needed some help with their mental health.

Global conflicts, high inflation, weak leadership, mass migration and political uprising from left to right (to name), combined with a housing and a cost of living crisis would put any person (regardless of emotional and academic intelligence, and how healthy a person is) into a mental health tailspin sometimes; if not more frequently than ever.

You are not going mad. The world is frickin insane right now.

And furthermore, not to mention the popularity of AI, cryptocurrency, and the fact that many things are much harder right now, from saving money and paying bills to getting a decent paying job, let alone any job sometimes.

If money is tight, it is easy to shove the treatment of your mental health aside for when the so called rain goes away. That is bound to cause some problems down the line, and usually at the most inconvenient and inopportune of times. Keep digging yourself into that hole, and it is only a matter of time before that hole gets deeper. If you keep overindulging in buffets and/or in food that is not great for you (for example), and you have at least one filling in your teeth; that filling will quickly break before being replaced with a crown in no time at all. Hence an unwanted dental bill that costs way more than self care and/or therapy.

Looking after your mental health either way is an investment; no different to going to to the gym to keep that core strong, as well as those muscles and quads.

It pays to engage in some preventative maintenance for your mind, so to keep your life in order, and then in order to grow, and then to ultimately thrive with sustained focus on your goals and objectives.

The last thing you would want is to land yourself on a hospital bed as a by-product of poor or negligent mental health care.

It is sustainable and easier than expected to feel good while broke and/or on a tight budget, because I get it, rents and mortgages are expensive these days for a myriad of reasons. So is food, and the cost of the other basics that we need, in order to meet our needs for security and comfort on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs before even thinking of self actualisation and needing to belong.

This is why this life-hack article exists, just to help you, and give you a leg up on keeping your mental health in check, and/or in getting better in tough times, of which we are experiencing right now, as at the time of writing. The suicide statistics are pretty high, wherever you are based in the world. In fact, according to Lifeline in Australia, over 4500 people called their hotline on the 26th of April 2024 as a result.

Firstly, it is easy to manage your mental health free of charge by knowing your triggers. In other words, it is a good idea to keep a journal (a decorative notebook and a pen are still cheap as chips so to speak) as to when you are feeling depressed or in a low mood, and what is causing such. Same as to what was going on for you before having yet another panic attack. Personally, I was able to tackle my low mood by being aware of the fact that I would feel pretty s**t and depressed when I was working too much unnecessarily in my business, of which took away precious time with my family and friends. I then approached a mental health coach who specialises in helping small business owners, in ensuring that their clients work does not interfere with their mental health. That worked for me. No different to keeping a log book of what triggers sugar cravings and indulgences. No different to using a gratitude journal.

In Australia, and it is the case in some other countries of the world; you can make a bulk billing appointment to see your local doctor, and organise a mental health plan, where 18 therapy/counselling sessions are charged to programs like Medicare. If not, find a way to obtain some quality and affordable health insurance for therapy. Otherwise in Australia, there are online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programs that have been especially helpful, such as Mindspot, as well as the Newaccess Program for small business owners, as mentioned at Beyond Blue's website. Mental health services such as Lifeline and Beyond Blue (or equivalents in your home country) offer complimentary support. If you are not comfortable talking over the telephone (whatever that is right?) live chat conversations are also available and helpful.

Apart from reading valuable articles like mine (thank you for the support by the way), it is an ideal solution to minimise screen time. Spend way less time on social media. If this TED talk does not inspire you on doing so, then I do not know what will:

It is natural for us humans to spend some quality time in nature. It is more natural for us to walk barefoot on the earth, and even in the sand at the beach, than it is on concrete/cement. In cooler weather, a walk to your local park and/or botanical gardens is enough to relax your mind, and feel connected to mother nature. They say that mother nature is a great healer. On this, walking is the oldest and best form of exercise, and most of us can still walk, even if push ups are now becoming more difficult.

Studying (at all levels) is good for expanding the mind. Think of any new activities you want to learn, from growing your own foods and vegetables indoors (if that is even possible, if not on an apartments balcony) to learning to knit or skydive to name. Ideally something novel, and not something that would overwhelm you and send you back into your cocoon. Studying for a tertiary qualification in either upgrading or retraining for a new career is also relevant here. The mind is active, busy, and it is expanding our horizons. This is also a pleasant form of distraction from low moods and anxious thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

Finally, it is good to understand your values, in other words why you choose Louis Vuitton bags over saving money and building wealth, even though you want to save money and build wealth deep down. If your priorities are wrong; then follow Dr John Demartini's 13 values determinants process, and when you know what you know, then you can shift your values, so that your highest priority can become your highest priority. You can simply download the worksheet to work through this exercise free of charge by clicking here.

It is wise to keep life simple, and do what you can to not set yourself up for some pleasant financial surprises. Having a buffer of savings in an account strictly for emergencies (that does include dental crowns, and for when the car breaks down for example) is critical. I am not anti-choice with what I have shared; especially with limiting screen time and social media usage; yet back in the 90's as an elderly millennial going through high school for example; if you wanted to rent a movie, you physically had to go to the local video store (rain, hail or shine) to rent out that film on cassette, and then on DVD. You would commit to see the same movie to the very end, irrespective as to whether you end up liking such a film or not. What yours truly is about to share is not an insult to Netflix. The thing is with Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services is this; you have an overwhelmingly high choice of movies to choose from as it is, before any new releases like Brigerton are added on. If you do not like it, you can simply flick the remote so to speak. Then you are back to square one, and on and on it goes.

Same with dating sites, or rather apps I should say. Too many people to choose from with profiles that only take 5-10 minutes to create. You would be forgiven for no longer knowing the difference between what swiping left and swiping right on some of them actually means. That swiping is too hard core. What happened to approaching people in cafes, bars, and at conferences for example? In other words the KISS acronym for optimal mental health.

The quality of the questions you ask yourself also determines the quality of your life; and best of all, asking such quality questions only takes a bit of time, and does not cost any money at all, apart from the cost of a simple notebook and pen yet again. Ask your mind "How can I improve my mental health?" and no doubt solutions will ultimately come to the surface. If spraying a lavender pillow mist on your pillow comes up for you, then do that. If drinking more water and eating less junk food comes up for you, then please do that.

To conclude, any form of personal development is fantastic in staying mentally well, from pottery classes to reading a personal development book. Again, there is no need to break the bank to engage in inspirational self care in managing your mental health. I get that some people need medication and/or hospital stays. I get that. These strategies presented are natural and affordable, and thereby eradicate all excuses not to keep your mental health a priority while under the pump financially.

Note: The author does not receive any kickbacks or commissions for recommending the relevant resources, companies and individuals in this article. The author has participated in the sources mentioned, and is sharing them due to passing on the torch so that others like yourself can benefit. Thank you so much.