Money worries naturally equal stress and anxiety, and with fuel, food and energy bills rising, it’s natural that many NHS staff are feeling concerned about the cost of living. When money worries become entrenched – especially as we read the news and feel the concern of inflation and economic uncertainty – those money issues can rapidly affect mental health and we end up in a vicious cycle where we feel out of control.
Money worries are one of the biggest causes of mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression, especially when those worries seem to pile up and have no sign of ending!
The fact is, finances are tough for many NHS staff at the moment, and if your outgoings are regularly exceeding your incomings, you can rapidly feel stress, anxiety, denial or depression. Mental health issues may affect your ability to work and earn – and also lead to unhelpful coping mechanisms such as online shopping or online gambling.
Help, support and better routes!
The good news is that you can get a handle on your finances and regain that sense of wellbeing and control. If you are already in debt, there are free debt advice helplines to link you up with specialist, non-judgemental and supportive help. For example, the National Debt Helpline is completely free and confidential to access and it’s there for anyone in the NHS experiencing issues with debt: https://www.gov.uk/national-debtline
As you get out of debt, there are also plenty of quick and easy routes to saving money the hassle-free way, and there are also fantastic coupons and voucher codes available for NHS staff, so you can instantly start to save!
Here are some of our favourite routes to getting a handle on your finances for 2022:
1. Look for coupons and voucher codes – there are fantastic NHS discounts available to help NHS staff save money on everything from days out to dining. Sign up for alerts to see the latest NHS discounts and to benefit from money off the products and services you buy.
2. Keep a spending diary – highly effective
3. Start a saving habit – even if it’s accruing change
4. Don’t pay more for brands – downgrade to save money on marketing
5. Get a slow cooker – cheap and easy to run!
6. Start using free services such as the library, go for a walk with friends rather than to a bar, or cook at home together for a pot luck meal!
Find out more
See the latest NHS vouchers and NHS coupon codes online at NHS Discounts and start to save now!
