Mental Health. It’s the foundation of your four financial walls.
by Tracy Latona |
What is your first reaction when Murphy knocks and finances get really tight? Do you sit down and do a budget? Do you go through all your expenses, looking for areas to cut? If you have medical or mental health needs, do those get cut first?
What if it didn’t have to be that way?
Mental Health. It’s the foundation of your four financial walls. if your mental health is in the trash, the security of your four walls won’t be very effective.
What are the four walls? The four walls are the areas in your budget that you focus on first if there’s more month than money, or if your income doesn’t cover your expenses. They are in order: Food/Medication. Transportation (Gas, Insurance) so you can get to work (car payment is debt, that will be focused on later). Utilities. Rent/ Mortgage Payment.
I’ve been in the situation, and several of my clients, too, where when things get stressful on the money side it’s so easy to look at the dollar sign attached to therapy/ counseling and say that’s the first thing to go. The money paid into getting well is an investment in yourself. If you are not mentally well, it won’t matter much that you can pay your rent, go to work, keep the electric going, or put food on the table. If you are mentally unwell, that will envelop every aspect of your life, and create hurdles that prevent you from moving forward. Your hamster wheel will keep on spinning. So, what do you do if you have to make a choice on staying with therapy or cutting it? I encourage you to keep getting the help to be well. Here are some options:
- Talk to your counselor/ therapist and let them know your situation. They may have a sliding scale you can use in the meantime.
- Find a college/ university that offers therapy as a program, and see if the students need the hours of counseling to graduate. The student has gone through the classroom portion, and needs the hours to get their degree. They are supervised by a licensed therapist/ teacher. Often this route is significantly reduced or even free.
- Options like Better Help are available that provide online therapy that is less expensive than traditional options.
If you’ve been thinking about getting help with mental health, but money is what’s preventing you from taking that step to become well, there is hope! It’s absolutely worth the investment to put your mental health first. As Dr. John Delaney says, “You are worth being well.”
Tracy Latona
Golden Rose Financial Coaching