Lived Experience Forum

[Hyperballad]

I’ve been posting a lot but I am going going through a difficult patch and finding that posting helps and great to connect with people who have similar experiences.

Has anyone’s anxiety been impacted by cost of living pressures? I find that’s added a really big element to my anxiety since early last year and something that continues to stress me out and make me feel alone with all this stuff 

[Xibon]

Hi @Hyperballad, posting a lot is what this community is here for! Glad you feel comfortable to do so.

Cost of living pressures are very real, and absolutely a valid stressor. There's a reason lived experience forums are referred to as psychosocial support - they are communities that recognise the intersection of social issues (financial inequality, cultural, gender, class, spirituality, and more) and psychological issues.

At its core, class and financial inequality affects so many in society, and should never be dismissed.

I'm absolutely one who has found that cost of living pressures have gnawed at me, and given me great anxiety. I've recently had to make the decision to move due to financial distress (in addition to discomfort and aggressiveness between some of my neighbors which I feel is unhealthy).

It's certainly hard when you aren't sure if you'll have enough money for rent or groceries, and can be a constant worry.

Do you feel less alone when you post here? Are you able to reach out to friends and family about any of this?

[yaambul]

I now feel a sense of claustrophobia in regard to finances.
It seemed like I had been living in a 'cost of living' crisis for past few years, then an actual, real one hit.

[8ppleTree]

Hi @Hyperballad,

Yes, yes and yes 😌 Do you have any supports to assist you? 

Being able to connect with others and have meaningful discussions is a huge factor in wellbeing and a sign of a healthy, robust culture! Thank goodness for the forums and other like-minded community people that are happy to have a chat 🙂 

I recently accessed my local community and discovered a whole network of support and wonderful ideas, like sustainability and connectedness. It helped me to realise that there was a whole layer of society out there that didn't buy into the capitalist rat-wheel and truly believed, and were working towards, the health and wellbeing of people. 

Many community centres, community gardens, local churches and foodbanks are happily donating and exchanging goods and supports. Local gardeners are swapping produce on the community pages and people have set up donation pot-lucks, etc. Not everybody needs a whole food parcel, so some people just take down the excess they have and exchange it for the things they need. 

[8ppleTree]

Hi @Hyperballad, @yaambul, @Xibon,

I just found a wonderful thread https://saneforums.org/t5/Looking-after-ourselves/Budgeting-Page/m-p/1354222/highlight/true#M99198 with some interesting budgeting and living tips and tricks for looking after ourselves and others. 

Thought you might be interested 🙂

[Xibon]

Hi @8ppleTree I couldn't agree more.

The ideology of capitalist 'grind ' culture, engendered by those in the 1% of the neoliberal economic paradigm, tells us that we are only worthy if we are working and making enough money to live prosperously. And it does this while simultaneously funneling most of the surplus value the populace makes to that same 1%, leaving many of us in a continuous struggle which the same ideology tells us is each other's fault - no mention whatsoever of the system being rigged.

While I'm here I want to highlight how dystopian the term 'cost of living' is. It doesn't sit well with me as it sugggests we need to earn money in the ultra-competitive rat-race to deserve to live. This is particularly jarring when you develop the mindset that all people are worthy of, well, living. Not to mention living fulfilled lives.

Ahh but enough of that rant. Thank you kindly for the links you've shared, and strategies you've suggested for helping us to cope. Truly anything to mitigate the anxiety and suffering our economic paradigms have created.

[Tilz]

@Hyperballad  True . Even i faced that sometimes. Sometimes i reduce my expenses but thats not all i can do. If im  in low ,try to ask help from someone to solve some of my stuffs. and find out a way to earn and return back. We all go ups and down. Sure we can overcome that. Try different ways. There may be lot even we ever never thought of it.

[Hyperballad]

I do feel less alone when I post here. With family it is difficult. My parents are seniors so I don’t like to trouble them and dad attempted to take his life before Christmas so I don’t want to add a burden. He’s on the improve now though. My brothers and I are not close so don’t talk about these things. 

I really only have one close friend and she’s generally good to talk to about things but not usually this stuff. I feel like I am would be burdening her. A guy I have kind of been seeing kind of sees anxiety / mental health as a personal weakness or something best resolved through medication. 

it’s why I have found this forum useful because it alllows me to share the tough times and have some support and feedback from people who get it. It’s a lot to carry on your own. 

[Xibon]

@Hyperballad a big thank you for your reply.

I'm glad to hear you feel camaraderie and a sense of community on the forums. Its very sad you don't feel that you have available family support, and I am disheartened beyond words to hear about your father's recent distress.

It's great that you have a close friend you can contact, even if it's not in an emotionally supportive capacity. It seems you feel as though you often feel anxious about the impact your distress may have on others. I've felt this way in the past, but it can be wonderful to at least ask 'are you feeling emotionally available?' or 'may I be emotionally vulnerable with you?' to friends. It is a safer way to approach the topic which considers the other person's capacity for emotional distress, and has often surprised me just how much people are willing to listen.

Very sorry to hear that it sounds as though the man you are dating is quite pathologising regarding mental health distress, which I can imagine feels very invalidating and anxiety-inducing. I hope you get along in other ways?

Regardless, please never feel like a burden for posting here. We're always available and here for you ❤️

May I ask if you've had a chance to look at any of the information shared by @8ppleTree regarding financial distress?

[Hyperballad]

I did reach out to a colleague yesterday. I am on secondment in a higher paying role until the end of this year but for a range of seasons the secondment if causing stress. I reached out to my colleague at my original workplace to suss out whether they would take me back early and he was really good to talk to because he said I need to prioritise mental health above all including finances. As it turned out he spoke to the senior manager and she said the door is open for my return - so there was some comfort in knowing that options is there. 

i haven’t checked out those resources yet. Money and financial planning stresses me (it feels better to bury my head in the sand but it is important for me not to avoid it … I often surprise myself when I have had to budget how good I can be at that planning.