We’ve all been on a roller coaster ride for the last two years living through the pandemic and just as life started to resemble some sort of normality, we’ve been hit by the cost of living crisis and watching the atrocities unfold in Ukraine.It’s almost impossible not to be impacted by what’s going on and many of the people I speak to are feeling a sense of heightened anxiety and worry.It’s easy to feel helpless when such major things are unfolding around us and this can also be a major trigger for feeling out of control.Fortunately, there are lots of ways we can take back control, look after our mental health and ultimately manage those anxiety levels.I’ve put together my top 5.
First of all, it’s important to know that’s it’s okay to feel overwhelmed by what is going on. It’s okay to feel worried about money and it’s okay to feel anxious about the future. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re going through these emotions or if they’re impacting your day to day life. Recognising how you feel and identifying the cause is a really helpful step in managing your mental health. Remind yourself that you might not be productive one hundred percent of the time and that’s totally normal! Instead, try and identify what will make you feel better on the days that you are struggling whether it’s going for a walk, spending time with friends, listening to music, or journaling. Whatever it is that makes you feel good, do more of it and don’t feel guilty for taking the time to practise self care.
Talking about things is a real stress reliever and it makes you realise you’re not alone. The cost of living crisis is impacting absolutely everyone and there isn’t one person I’ve spoken to who isn’t concerned about money. By opening up the conversation about this and sharing your worries you can find out what other people are doing to manage. Whether it’s coping strategies, money saving tips or information on how to earn more money each month, these helpful topics will only come up if you talk about how you’re feeling. Whatever your concerns are, the saying is true: a problem shared is a problem halved so don’t be afraid to talk about what’s on your mind and let people help if they can.
During times of stress and worry it can feel easier to bury our heads in the sand rather than being proactive and making changes that will help us in the long run. This is particularly true when it comes to problems that involve money. The cost of living crisis is causing pretty much everything to go up in price; our food, petrol, household bills, clothes and property, just to name a few. Unless you’re a top earner and have a significant amount of disposable income, we’re all going to feel the pinch and are going to have to make cut backs or increase our monthly income, or both! The positive thing is there are lots of ways to do both, if fact we’re helping people earn and save at the same time. I’ve also recently written a blog about managing your finances which has also been helping people.
We might think we’re taking a break from reality when we’re scrolling through our phones, but the fact is, news and current affairs are a topic of conversation everywhere. Whether it’s scrolling social channels or news pages, we’re being fed a constant flow of negative news and it’s bound to make us feel anxious. I’ve turned off the notifications from both social media and news apps so I only get updates when I go looking for them. I’d also recommend not picking up your phone first thing in the morning. If the first thing we see when we open our eyes is distressing and worrying news, it’s going to set the mood for the rest of the day. Instead, do something you enjoy; have a coffee in peace, practise some yoga or do a workout. These will all boost the happiness chemicals in your brain and get your day off to a more positive start.
When the world feels heavy, focusing on the good things in our lives is a great mood booster. I try to do this daily, by writing down three things I’m grateful for. This simple exercise really puts things into perspective and reminds me why I do the things I do. Whether you write yours down or just spend some time thinking about the things you’re grateful for, you’ll get the same result so do what-ever works for you. Remember, the tough times happen so that we appreciate the good things in our lives even more and what’s more, the tough times will eventually pass, and we’ll all be stronger because of it.I’ve had lots of people reach out to me in search of opportunities to earn and save money and it’s been a pleasure to help them. We’re building a community and it feels like a safe and positive space where we all help each other. If you want to be part of it and improve your financial situation as a bonus, feel free to send me a message or follow my social media channels to find out more.
Prior to starting his current business with UW, Derek dedicated 29 years to Primary Education, serving as a classroom practitioner, an Advisory Teacher for Information Technology, and ultimately as the Head of a Primary School until 2014.
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