Reluctant To Invest In Your Mental Health And Well-Being?
Are you reluctant to invest in your Mental Health and Well-Being but over-spend on things you don’t really require?
Understanding We Are All On The Spectrum
Mental Health is a spectrum we’re all on and it can be affected by a wide range of factors.
There could be a number of reasons for this as each individual is different and everyone’s situation varies.
What Do You Prioritise?
Priorities can play a big role in deciding whether to spend on your Mental Health and Well-Being or spend money on other items. For many individuals it can be as simple as stocking up the sweet draw for the children, stocking up on alcohol for when your friends come over or always buying food to cook in case your siblings pop round and they may be hungry.
Putting your family, friends, child’s wants and needs first isn’t a bad thing.
However, as individuals we often tend to forget about ourselves, not investing in your mental health and well-being isn’t beneficial in the long run.
Affordability
Finances are a major concern for most people in determining their spending patterns.
Have you ever walked into a supermarket with a few items on your mind but you end up buying and spending more than you originally planned to? You’re not alone, almost everyone is guilty of this.
It’s a tactic supermarkets use – They place the essential items such as milk and bread at the back to get people to spend more time in the supermarket to browse other items.
Promotions and psychological pricing is another technique to get people to spend more money on items they don’t necessarily require such as a 6 pack of crisps for £1 or buy 2, get the cheapest free, which seems like a steal, doesn’t it? Tempting you to stock up, until you’ve filled up the basket and made your way to the till only to realise you’re spending more than your budget without getting any of the nutritional value.
It may bring instant gratification but is it beneficial to your health and well-being in the long run as these foods can be quite addictive?
Tackling Over-Spending To Invest In Your Mental Health And Well-Being
Have a meal before going shopping, research shows we buy more food and junk if we are hungry when we go shopping; create a list of items you need before leaving for the market and try sticking to this list so you don’t go over budget.
Self-Worth
Many individuals determine their self-worth through external factors for instance:
Material items – expensive clothing, shoes, jewelry etc.
Relationships & Status – social circles, social media (number of followers and likes) job title, amount of money in the bank.
If we struggle to see our own value, we may feel like we’re not worthy enough to prioritise our own mental health and well-being above everything and everybody else.
You’re the only one who defines your self-worth, you’re still worthy and valuable with or without the external factors involved.
Therefore, it’s important to prioritise our Mental Health and our Well-Being.
If we feel our best, it improves the quality of our life, we’re more productive at work, more energised, our relationships with others improve and most importantly our relationship with ourselves improve.
Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup!
So, the next time you plan on spending money on junk food, cigarettes or numerous expensive shoes and clothing –
Try taking this into consideration – Instant gratification versus investing into your Mental Health and Well-Being for an improved and meaningful life; saving yourself time and money in the long run, not to mention how fulfilled you will feel by healing!