Thinking about finances can be a struggle at the best of times. Many prefer to put it off and not think about it. It can seem boring, too complicated, something to deal with later…whenever that might be. But not being in control of your finances affects your mental health and can be a vicious circle.

Put simply, if we’re not in control of our finances then we’re likely to feel anxious and stressed - and this has a knock-on effect on how we perform and the decisions we make. Who makes good decisions when they’re overly stressed?

As a result, we may treat ourselves to get a temporary high, yet then feel guilty. Our work may suffer, thereby affecting our income. We may feel isolated from friends, as we can’t afford to do the things we want to. The list goes on.

Don’t we all have a responsibility to talk about money more? To educate everyone so that we are all in control of our finances, regardless of income level? Being in control leads to more options and better choices.