The Cost of Living Crisis is on the forefront of everybody's minds at the moment. After two very turbulent and stressful years, it can be massively draining to have to live through and deal with ANOTHER crisis. It's dominating the news cycle, it's all over social media and it's affecting our mental health.
It's a scary and confusing time as there's a lot of uncertainty and plenty of scaremongering going on and it's very easy to slip into a negative, pessimistic or even depressive headspace.
It's also hard to know HOW to look after your mental health during these tough times, as when we we worry about money, what we're really concerned about is our security. As illustrated by Maslow in his Hierarchy of Needs, our safety needs (such as employment, resources, and personal security) need to be met before we're able to think about self-esteem, self-actualisation and our mental wellbeing. So when our safety and security is under threat, telling you to meditate and do yoga isn't going to solve a very real, very tangible fear.
However, there are things you can do to adjust your mindset and perspective to stop this fear and anxiety controlling you, helping you to approach the crisis with a more logical head. Read on for some tips on how to look after your mental health during the cost of living crisis.