The Hidden Link: Mental Health, Personal Finance, Physical Health, & Your Environment

This week's episode is all about a seemingly obvious link that often gets overlooked: the connection between your mental health, physical health, personal finances, and environment. I'm excited to share this episode as it's something I've wanted to talk about for a while. As always, you can watch/listen on YouTube or Spotify or follow along with the transcript below. And don't forget to leave a comment!!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Happy, Healthy and Wealthy. So sorry it's taken so long for another one to come out, but I'm just happy to be here. Happy that you're here. My name is Nicole, and I'm the hostess. If you don't know. And I'm the founder of Mindful Money Media, which is a company dedicated to providing financial education and wellness and literacy to everyone, especially women.

I'm really excited to get into today's episode. If I'm looking different is because I'm not wearing my glasses and I'm not in my usual spot. I'm recording somewhere else, and I took my glasses off because the glare was really bad, so that would have bothered me and probably wouldn't have mattered to anyone else. But anyway, welcome.

In today's episode, we're going to talk about the link between four very important aspects of your life. And this is your environment, your mental health, your finances, and your physical health. I've wanted to talk about this topic for a while because it is so important, and I think it's one of those things that's just so obvious that a lot of people just miss it.

So let's jump in and set the scene. Imagine you just get home from work. You're tired, exhausted, maybe a little anxious or depressed and you're hungry, so you order in. It's not the healthiest, but it's better than eating nothing. Just don't think about the $40 you're paying to have that $12 burrito delivered to your door. If only they could deliver it to your bed. You haven't washed your sheets in weeks, but that's only because you never leave your bed except to go to the bathroom or to work.

Your heart rate spikes as you try not to look at all the wrappers and boxes and bags littering your floor as you make your way to your den of pillows and dead skin follicles, you make a mental note to take out the garbage, but you know you'll forget. Anyway, it's time to settle in for the Night and doom scroll until you fall asleep. Hopefully not too late. You can't afford to be late for work again. You have too much credit card debt to be unemployed.

If this sounds familiar, if this sounds like you, you're definitely caught in a really bad cycle and one that it is very hard to escape from. And I know this personally. A few years ago I went through a really bad breakup and like life falling apart for bad, I moved halfway across the country, back home to live with my family, and I was jobless.

I had no car and I was just wasting away my savings on things like DoorDash and a hot tub and going to concerts, trying to fill some void inside of myself. What on the outside might have seemed like a very fun lifestyle. I was just spending money. I was treating my friends to dinner. I was buying clothes, really whatever I wanted.

I was suffering inside and I was using the money and spending the money as a coping mechanism for the pain. And I think that's what a lot of people do when you are in a really bad place mentally. A lot of us turn to spending money to cope and buying things to feel happy or to feel better, and that is a very dangerous cycle to fall into.

Because at the same time, when your mental health is suffering, a lot of times your environment starts to suffer, right? You stop making your bed, you stop doing your laundry, you stop taking out garbage, and things start piling up, which just makes that anxiety and the depression worse and is going to make you more likely to go out and spend more money and of course, your physical health as well.

That deteriorates when you spend all day in bed, when you can't get yourself up to go for a walk or go to the gym. And at the same time, you're probably eating worse as well when you're ordering all this takeout or fast food like I was doing. You're gaining weight, you're getting bloated, and you're going to feel less confident about yourself, and you're not going to want to look in the mirror.

And maybe you'll spend money to try to make yourself feel better about the way that you look, instead of actually doing something about it. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that if your lifestyle is unhealthy, your mental health is likely to suffer and vice versa. So if your mental health is suffering, then your lifestyle is going to suffer.

But the key is being able to recognize the connection between your mental health and how that affects your physical health, and how that affects your finances and how that affects your environment. And recognizing the interconnectedness of these elements so that you know when something is off, you need to make a change. So let's talk about that downward spiral and how one can affect the other.

These may seem familiar to you. You might recognize these patterns in yourself or in someone that you know and love. And if you don't, that's okay too. You might not fall into these categories, or you just might not be aware of it yet. So I think it's pretty well known that anxiety and depression can cause poor financial decisions and lead people into a poor financial situation, which is only made worse and fueled by this downward spiral of your mental health.

You may start impulsively spending and racking up credit card debt and then ignoring those bills, and they just start to pile up, which fuels your anxiety about the situation. And you may be shopping to feel better, but how long does that feeling last until the anxiety comes back or the guilt sets in about how much money you spend?

This money stress further fuels your mental health struggles and is going to worsen your anxiety and your depression. It's not the cure, it's the problem. And if you're anything like me, you know how hard it can be to keep up with your physical health. When you're struggling with your mental health, it is very hard. And it's unfortunate because they are so connected that going for a walk makes you feel better, but you don't have that initial energy or inertia to actually go on that walk and feel better.

So you're kind of just stuck in this paralysis state, and it's really hard to get up and make your situation better. And this is going to lead into a snowball effect, right. So when you are so depressed that you can't get out of bed, it's really hard to shower, let alone go to the gym, let alone cook your food.

You're not going to be getting the exercise that you need, and you're not going to be getting the nutrition that you need, and you're just going to feel worse. And I know I probably sound like your mom when I say it, but it really is true that exercising regularly and eating a proper diet are going to do wonders for your mental health.

Now is not going to cure every single thing. No, you should probably see a therapist. Maybe you need meds. I don't know, I'm not a doctor, but it is a great place to start if you're struggling. And another thing, when you are not in a healthy mental space, your environment is going to suffer. And that is also going to further fuel your mental health struggles.

And again, it's like a catch 22 here because when you are in that state, you don't have the energy to clean up your room or clean up your house. And it makes it more challenging. But when you do, when you overcome that hump, when you get that initial inertia going and you have a clean space in organized space, your brain is going to become cleaner and more organized and functioning a little better.

I promise, it really does work. Having a neat space makes everything else so much easier, and you're not going to have all these million things going on in your head. You might still have a million, but not 1,000,001. And one less thing is always better. And studies show that people living in these unclean or disorganized living spaces have a higher likelihood of having mood disorders like anxiety and depression.

And it's pretty clear to see why, when you're stuck in the throes of this. It's really easy to catastrophize and feel like there's no way out. But there is, and I'm going to help you. I always say that the first step to changing any situation is having awareness of it, because you can't fix a problem if you don't even know what the problem is, or that there even is a problem in the first place.

You have to be able to recognize the problem in order to get up and do something about it and fix it. Of course, this is much easier said than done, but you don't have to have it all figured out in one day. You can acknowledge it and become aware of it and then take small steps to fix it.

Start with small, bite sized actions that don't really take a lot of extra effort, but are taking care of you. So doing small things like drinking a glass of water, or making your bed, or brushing your teeth, or taking a shower. These small little actions are going to help you build that momentum, because that's the hardest part, is that first step.

And starting with something easy is going to get you over that hump a lot quicker. And these small acts are going to help you take it a step further. Maybe you'll be able to go grocery shopping or meet a friend for coffee, and then you can take it even further. Maybe you're going to the gym. Maybe you're going for a walk.

Maybe you're setting up your budget. Maybe you're making a plan to pay off your debt all before you know. And I'm not going to lie, it's going to take some time, and it's probably not going to be a linear process. You're going to have some days that are better or worse than others. So don't be yourself up. If you have 2 or 3 days where you're making progress, and then you're set back the day, as long as you keep that forward momentum going the next day and the day after that, it's okay because you are laying a foundation to build upon throughout this process.

It's very important that you begin to set up your life in a way that will support this healthier version of you. This means making sure to drink enough water, eating balanced meals, staying active, staying on top of your finances, all of those things. You start incorporating those habits into your routine. And again, as much of a mom thing as this is to say, you have to make sure that you're taking care of your physical health as well as your mental health, because there's something to be said about getting fresh air and vitamin D just going outside.

And the best part is that it's free, okay. It's free. So if you have this misconception that you have to spend a ton of money to live a healthy life, that's that's not true. You do not. And to give you an example, walking in the park is free. Doing at home workouts on YouTube is free. And planning out your meals in advance is much cheaper than just winging it and ordering takeout all the time.

And don't even try to argue that with me. I know people love to say eating out is cheaper. It's it's not. It really is not. And then anything else that you want to add to your life to make it better or healthier or help you in any way, whether that's going and getting a gym membership or buying organic groceries or going to therapy or any of these things that are an expense, they can be added into your budget and worked into your budget.

So you're not just spending recklessly or aimlessly and getting yourself further away from your goals. You're spending within your means, but you're also improving your life at the same time. And if that comes as news to you, I'm sorry, but I'm really not sorry. Yes, you are going to start budgeting. It is going to make your life a thousand times better.

I promise, if you're not already doing it, you need to be doing it. I will shout that from the rooftops until the day that I die. You are going to budget because it's going to help you pay off your debt and build your savings, and reach all these other financial goals that you want to have. It's going to help you live the life that you want to live, and it's going to create financial stability for yourself and your family.

If you have one or want one one day when you start budgeting, your bills will no longer go in paid and you're going to get a better hold over your impulsive spending habits and you will learn to live within your means. Your anxiety around money is going to slowly dissolve or untwist and you're going to be able to breathe again, especially once you open a window and clean your living room.

Decluttering your house and having a clean, safe environment for you to live in does not have to be expensive. You don't need a professional organizer or a thousand trips to the Container Store. You just have to be willing to get rid of things that you don't need and keep it that way. So when you're decluttering, think about all the things you have that you don't need or that just don't serve you.

So if you're holding on to clothes from college that don't fit you, get rid of them. If you're holding on to a mindset that you asked for for Christmas three years ago and never used, I would bet you're probably not going to use it anytime soon. So get rid of it. If you have 17 blankets in your hall closet, I think you get away with maybe 2 or 3.

I don't think you need 17. Once you have all that clutter removed from your space, you're going to feel more at peace and you're going to wonder why you were even living like that in the first place. I can attest to this. I have done many, many declutter things. I hate having just extra things lying around and cluttering up my space because it does make me feel anxious.

And I do notice a difference from before and after I declutter and get rid of things. And I don't know if you've heard of her, seen her on TikTok or anything, but Kylie Perkins, she's the queen of this. And if you struggle with decluttering or getting the motivation to do things like that, I recommend following her because that is like her thing and she can help.

And again, the process is going to be something that is quick or easy. It's going to take time. So just be patient with yourself. Remember if you have any setbacks, just let it be and move forward. Move forward the next day and the day after that. Struggling with your mental health or your finances is nothing to be ashamed of.

I don't want you to feel bad about it or ignore it or push it away, because these are things that need to be addressed in order for you to live your best life possible. But I also don't want you to try to justify it or make excuses for it, because then you're not solving the problem. And if you take away anything from this podcast episode today, it's that if you take care of yourself, it's going to take care of a lot of your problems.

Improving one area of your life is going to positively impact the rest. It's like a ripple effect or a butterfly effect. So if you've been stuck in a funk lately, I want you to pick one small action that you can do today. Like right now. Like as soon as you finish watching this video and liking it and subscribing to my channel, pick something that you can do that is going to be an easy task for you to build momentum.

So maybe if you're hungry, have a healthy snack, or throw in a load of laundry, or pay a bill that you've been procrastinating because I promise it's going to take like two seconds, maybe five minutes in total, and you're going to feel a lot better. Or at least I hope you will pay attention to how that task makes you feel.

And if you feel like you can tackle another one after that. And if you feel like you need or want a little extra support, I offer personal coaching, mindful money, mentoring and it is all about empowering and educating you, not financial advice. I'm not a financial advisor, but what I do offer is a safe space for you to learn about all the things that we were never taught and focus on building financial wellness, building habits that are going to help you reach your goals and help you get to the life that you want to live.

So if you're interested, I will put a link in the description and you can click it to apply. Thank you so much for watching and or listening. And if you want to take a moment, type in the comments what your little action was that you're going to take today. And I am so proud of you guys. I'm so proud of you all for taking these steps to improve your lives, because if you don't do it, who will?

That's all I've got for you today. And I will see you much, much sooner than last time. Okay. I promise I won't disappear for this long again. Okay. Bye.