How to Prioritize Your Mental Health in an Uncertain Economy
During times of economic uncertainty, such as the current recession, it is hard not to feel stressed, anxious, and even depressed. In particular, more companies have layoffs, recent launching of ChatGPT may cause more job loss. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize your mental health. How can you manage your stress levels when a job loss is a possibility? What methods can you employ to lessen your anxiety and future worry? And how can you put emotional health and self-care first in the middle of a turbulent economy? In this post, we’ll look at how to prioritize your mental health amid tough economic circumstances and find the answers to these concerns.
Why You Don’t Prioritize your Mental Health
There are many reasons why you may not prioritize your mental health. Here are some possible reasons:
Stigma about Mental Health
There, unfortunately, is a lot of stigma about mental health still in this world. As mentioned in a previous article, mental health stigma can be very dangerous. The more stigma there is, the more you don’t feel comfortable discussing your mental health. You may not even discuss, let alone prioritizing your mental health.
For example, there are many stigmas surrounding depression. Many people think of depressed people as lazy people who can’t get over things or get their life together. They don’t see how people who are dealing with depression are really struggling in life. Their depression can make them feel more lethargic, unmotivated, and sad about life; this can make it extremely hard for people to put themselves out there and achieve what others expect of them. The stigma can lead to someone struggling a lot and lacking support in their lives.
Taking Care of Others
You may not prioritize your mental health simply because you are too busy caring for others. For example, many parents or caregivers might put their mental health on the back burner because they have to take care of their kids or loved ones.
Work is Your Priority
You may feel like you are too busy to sit down and prioritize your mental health. As a matter of fact, you may have a very demanding job and find it hard to take time off to care for your mental health. Or, you may be a student, actually it can also feel like a full-time job. Students are so busy studying and trying to do well on exams that addressing their mental health diminishes their study time.
Lack of Self-Worth or Value
If you happen to have low self-esteem, you may not feel the need to prioritize your mental health. If you don’t value yourself or your worth, you may find it hard to take your needs seriously. You may be really struggling with your anxiety or depression, but you can’t find it in yourself to fix these things. This lack of self-worth can stem from your mental issues, and addressing them may help you feel better and find more worth in yourself.
How to Prioritize Your Mental Health in an Uncertain Economy
1. Acknowledge Your Emotions in Times of Uncertainty
In uncertain times, it’s normal to feel concerned, apprehensive, or worried; it’s vital to recognize and validate these sentiments. Spend some time checking in with yourself to see what feelings you are going through. Then, think about coping mechanisms you may employ, such as speaking with someone you trust.
You may be concerned that your emotions make you weak or fragile. This idea, however, is untrue! Showing your emotions and having the courage to be vulnerable is a powerful and brave thing to do. We all have emotions. Embracing your feelings helps you deal with them, especially the difficult ones. It only makes things worse when you push them aside and pretend they aren’t happening or suppress or voice your emotions. Embracing your feelings allows you to face things that scare you.
Journaling to Express your Emotions
As we all know, Journaling is a great way to express and explore your thoughts and feelings. One benefit is that journaling helps you to discover yourself. When you write out your thoughts and visualize them in front of you, it helps you dig deeper into yourself and learn new things about yourself. Here are some helpful journal prompts:
- How am I feeling today?
- When do you feel the happiest?
- What is something you do to make other people happy, but it makes you miserable?
- Name three things you love about yourself
Creative writing helps people feel more self-aware and confident. It also is just a really fun activity to take part in. You can be as imaginative and innovative as you’d like. Of course, it is a wonderful way to prioritize your mental health.
2. Prioritize Your Mental Health by Enhancing Self-Care
Self-care is critical at all times, but uncertain times can make it much more so. Ensure that you are attending to your basic needs, such as getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising. To aid in reducing stress and fostering wellbeing, think about adopting additional self-care techniques like yoga, meditation, or going outside. Indeed, various hobbies help you to improve your mental health!
3. Lean on your support systems
In particular during times of stress and uncertainty, social support is essential for maintaining mental health. Social support helps people feel supported in tough times. Go to a loved one to vent to and receive support from. We feel seen and heard when we connect with people who share similar experiences as us. Try talking with a friend who understands what you are going through.
As we all know, social support is critical for people to have. It promotes feelings of safety and comfort in those who need it most. When you need help and support, it’s okay to ask for it! You don’t have to do this alone and deserve to have time for yourself to recharge and take care of your mental health. If you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed, think about joining a support group or speaking with a mental health expert.
4. Develop Mindfulness
You may be present and focused in the present by practicing mindfulness, which can be very useful when faced with uncertainty. Think about include mindfulness exercises like deep breathing exercises, meditation, or visualization techniques in your everyday routine. These techniques can aid in calming the mind and reducing anxiety.
5. Establish a Work-Life Balance
If you are someone who works a lot, you are probably familiar with a work/daily schedule. Here is an idea…try implementing or scheduling in time to relax and take breaks. Stick to this scheduled time and don’t deviate from it- you deserve to get time off of work to relax and do things you enjoy. Watch an episode of your favorite show every night, listen to music you enjoy on your way to work, or plan a dinner that makes you excited to go home and eat it!
If you need, have a mental health day! A mental health day is a day where you dedicate yourself to caring for your well-being. This day allows you to recuperate and get back in touch with practices that improve your mental health.
Taking care of your mental health is vital to living a healthy and happy life. Work and school take up much of our time and can drain us completely. Burnout is real! Researchers share that burnt-out people face intense exhaustion, aversion to their job, and meaninglessness in their work.
6. Find Certainty in the Time of Uncertainty
Focus on What You Can Control
Even while there may be many factors outside your control in uncertain times, there are still certain things you may influence. Pay attention to these things, like your own thoughts and deeds, your daily schedule, and your interactions with other people. You can give your life a sense of security and certainty by concentrating on the things you can control.
Have Structure and Routine
It can be beneficial to establish structure and routine in your life during uncertain times. This can give you a sense of stability and greater control. Create a schedule for yourself that includes regular times for work or school, self-care, and time with family.
Limit your Exposure to Media
In times of uncertainty, it’s critical to keep informed, but too much exposure to the news and media coverage can be debilitating. For example, too much exposure to media about how ChatGPT could take over jobs could heighten feelings of apprehension and doubt. To lessen tension and anxiety, it is essential to stay informed through trustworthy sources while limiting your time spent on news and social media.
Plan for the Future
Even while making plans for the future might be challenging in uncertain times, having a feeling of direction and purpose can be beneficial. Think about making a plan to reach your personal and professional objectives and setting them for yourself. This is another good way to prioritize your mental healthy, that is, it ultimately provides you a sense of structure and stability, as well as more control.
7. Try Therapy to Prioritize Your Mental Health
If you notice that you’ve been continuously struggling in life, you should consider going to therapy. Therapy can help you find tools to build self-esteem, manage stress better and deal with any feelings of sadness or depression.
My team at Mind Connections wants to support you to prioritize your mental health in the trying time! We provide coaching that helps people healthily achieve success and goals in the new year. You deserve to live a happier and healthier life. Call us now to learn more!
Content Creator, Victoria Gallo; Reviewed by Dr. June Cao