How often when we encounter a stranger or someone we know does the phrase “how are you” come up? And how often have you responded with, “I am well”. What does it mean exactly to be well? Often the first thing that comes to mind is our physical health. If we are in good health, then we might say, I’m great! But is that it? What if one were to say “How can I improve my health?” If one were to look up the definition of health, there are other components. According to the World Health Organization, “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.”
How Can I Improve My Health?
While I like this definition above, I feel it is lacking a couple components. First, including spiritual health is a must. I could talk more about that, but I’ll leave that for another day. Financial health I also think plays an integral part in an effort to improve our health and wellbeing.
We all need money to live and operate here on this earth. You know, to buy things and to pay taxes. Heck, even Jesus’ disciples had to make money to pay taxes. If our financial health is in order, then we likely have enough money to not only get by but also an extra cushion as a safety margin. However, if our financial health is in poor shape, it can affect all aspects of our lives. Don’t think so? Consider this example:
Why Finances Are Critical to Your Overall Health
Take for example John. John lived a pretty good life as an executive for a well known management company of hotels. John was married to his wife Sharon with two kids. In early 2019, John and Sharon started to fight about their finances; she thought he had a spending problem and didn’t care about racking up credit card debt. She was concerned about not only their future, but their kids as well. She wanted to talk about these things, but John said there was no problem, and he had a comfy six figure job, so there was nothing to worry about. John wanted the latest and greatest car and to live the luxurious lifestyle and wanted people to know it.
Sharon in late 2019 had enough and filed for divorce. Then, March 2020 came and the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Since the hotel industry took a massive hit because of global lockdowns, John was laid off from his job. Because of the divorce, along with having to pay child support, John was facing financial hardship. He had a $450,000 house that he could not pay for because he had not been saving any money either in savings or retirement. He had to declare bankruptcy in 2021.
John became depressed and having mental health breakdowns. In addition, he started eating nothing but junk food and began developing horrible painful migraines. He resorted to getting opioids from his doctor and began to become addicted to them. He couldn’t get a job because his head was not straight and he kept messing up interviews. In the fall of 2021, when COVID was surging again, John considered committing suicide.
The above scenario may sound like an extreme example, but it may not be. A 2020 study by The American Journal of Epidemiology showed financial hardship can make people up to 20 times more likely to attempt suicide. The study focused on 4 key areas homelessness, unemployment, debt, and low income and found that the risk of suicide grew as each stressor was added.
So what facets of John’s health were impacted in this scenario? Honestly, all of them were. His spiritual health was in poor shape, his social health because he got laid off and lost his work life, his physical health got worse with migraines, his mental health took a severe turn with depression. But what was one underlying factor in all of this? His financial health!
Takeaway
Now, I am not implying that having money is critical to improve your health and happiness, but I do think it is an important component. Having too much of it can also lead to health problems, but that isn’t the point of this. The point is that we all need to assess where our financial health is at, right here right now. After going through a life changing world wide pandemic, if we didnt think getting our financial health in order was important before, it should be eye-opening that now is a perfect time to work on it. Check out this page for other tips on strengthening this area of your life!
