The rising price of food, fuel, energy and other essentials is having an impact on mental health.
Added financial pressures during a time of pandemic recovery are creating anxiety, depression and panic for many individuals.
The relentless stress and strain as well as consequent impacts such as relationship breakdowns are leading to poor mental health.
NAViGO chief executive Simon Beeton said: “The cost of living crisis is naturally worrying and impacting on everyone particularly those in low income households.
“It’s a situation that can leave you feeling trapped and helpless as well as overwhelmed – all of which can have a detrimental effect on your mental health with that ongoing stress and added anxiety having a real psychological impact.
“Sadly, we often associate what we earn or what we can afford with how we feel about ourselves. So even though the cost of living crisis is a wider problem within society and the fact that costs are rising faster than wages, sometimes people have a feeling of shame associated with money struggles which can make it difficult to talk about.
“It’s really important to remember that you are not alone. NAViGO offer non-judgemental signposting to financial advice as well as mental health support.”
While it won’t solve the cost of living crisis, there are things we can do to provide a supportive environment for each other:
- Take the time to recognise changes in your friends, family and colleagues
- Check in with each other, ask ‘are you okay?’
- Talk about your worries and concerns
Please remember, help is available. Reaching out for assistance can help prevent situations getting to a breaking point and can go a long way to reducing the impact on mental health.
Our services are here to support both individuals with ongoing mental health conditions and anyone who is experiencing poor mental health as a consequence of social factors, cost of living pressures and additional strains such as relationship breakdowns.
In response to the cost of living crisis, we are continuing to work with partners across the voluntary, community and social care sector to help people get the right support from the right service.
Anyone struggling with their mental health can find help here.
