Money, work, housing and discrimination

Money worries and mental health

Money and mental health are often linked. Poor mental health can make managing money harder, and worrying about money can make your mental health worse.

Not having enough money or being in debt can make you feel:

• out of control
• hopeless
• embarrassed
• guilty
• depressed and anxious

There are lots of sources of support and information that can help if you're facing money worries, including helping you manage your debt, which can help reduce the immediate stress.

If you are worried about your financial situation if you have COVID-19, it might help to understand your rights. If you have not already, talk with your employer about staying at home and self-isolating, and learn about your sick pay and rights benefits.

Knowing the details can reduce worry and help you feel more in control.

Work and unemployment issues

Having a job can help us feel a sense of achievement, give us a feeling of belonging and connect us to others, on top of the obvious financial benefits.

But if we face stressful situations in the workplace or are unable to work, it can have a big impact on our health and wellbeing.

We sometimes face difficult issues around work, which may include:

• a lack of control of our workload
• high demands on our time and energy
• fear of redundancy
• poor line management
• difficult relationships with colleagues
• bullying or harassment in the workplace
• workplace discrimination

There are 5 main areas that may cause work-related stress or issues if not managed well: demands, control, relationships, role and change.

It's not always clear what the best thing to do is, but if work issues are becoming difficult to deal with, there are ways you can get help.

Being out of work can affect our sense of identity and purpose, cause money worries and may make it difficult to maintain self-confidence, particularly if you're unable to work or have been made redundant or unemployed.

It may also damage your confidence if you have missed out on opportunities or are stuck in a career rut, or do not know what to do next.

Although retirement is something many of us look forward to, it can also be a challenging time. But there are things you can do to help ease this transition from working life.

There are lots of sources of support and information that can help if you have problems at work or getting a job.

Whether work is causing a mental health issue or aggravating it, employers have a legal responsibility to help employees by recognising signs of stress and responding to them.

The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Working Minds campaign has information and support, including a risk assessment template and a "talking toolkit" for line managers and employers.

Our home environment

Damp or cold housing, overcrowding, problems with landlords and debt can all be bad for our mental wellbeing, even when we think the problem is only temporary or we know how to fix it.

Homelessness is extremely stressful and many of the things that cause it are beyond our control, such as disability and poverty.

Being homeless can make it even harder for someone with poor mental health to recover and find secure, stable housing and a job, as well as making it harder to form healthy relationships.

There are lots of sources of support and information that can help if you have housing issues.

Discrimination and mental health

Discrimination can come in many different forms and can have a big effect on our mental health and wellbeing.

An act of discrimination could be losing out on a job or promotion because of who we are or what we believe in.

It may also mean not getting the support you need, feeling threatened or being excluded from a group.

There are many ways the law can protect us from discrimination. There are also lots of sources of support and information that can help if you feel discriminated against.