Your health is your wealth: Don’t be in denial about your debt to avoid stress

Last week I was a guest alongside Cassey Chambers, operations director at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), and Jeanne Fraser, deputy director at the Family and Marriage Society of SA (FAMSA).

The three of us were invited by Cape Talk radio host Lester Kiewit to be panellists on the very important topic of how our battered economy is impacting our mental health and family dynamics.

I remember in early 2010, in the aftermath of the 2008 recession, we were having similar conversations and, as I was then, I remain immensely grateful to organisations like SADAG and FAMSA for the support they give to the millions of South Africans experiencing unparalleled financial distress at this point in time.

Unlike last time, we have now had to deal with the devastation of Covid-19 (and all its consequences) as well as with the scourge of load shedding.

Load shedding does not only affect our pockets. Research done by SADAG shows that it affects our mental health as well.

A recent online SADAG survey showed that one in 10 people have contemplated suicide because of the impact of continuous load shedding.

Alongside feeling helpless, employed survey respondents (74%) were expected to deliver work, despite outages, adding high levels of performance anxiety and work-related stress to heavy financial demands caused by the secondary impacts of load shedding (eg. food spoilage, appliance breakages, etc.)

The survey also showed that 96% feared that load shedding will cause long-term damage to the South African economy, thus leaving many citizens in a worse state than before.

One respondent to the survey said: “I am more prone to things that I never was before such as road rage, losing my temper.”

One thing is certain – in order to deal with our debt and our bad financial situation, we have to get our mindset right.

Yet, taking all that we are dealing with, load shedding included, into account, this is definitely easier said than done.

People who are over-indebted and struggling to survive the crazy cost of living still have to carry on with their normal lives.

They have to be partners in a marriage/relationship, see that the children are clothed and fed, get their homework done, still travel to and from work, and sometimes even have to deal with toxic situations with colleagues, family and friends.

All of this can become extremely overwhelming.

If there is one piece of advice I would like to give you, it is this – do not fall into the trap of debt denial.

The Nile is a river in Egypt; it should not be anywhere near your finances.

If you are doing one, or all of the following, then you are in debt denial, and should make the effort to address your financial issues head on:

– You purposefully underestimate how much you owe – yet at the back of your mind you know it’s more.

– You don’t answer your phone, because you know it’s debt collectors and creditors calling.

– You leave your statements and bills unopened.

– You make new debt and take from Peter to pay Paul.

If you recognise that you are in debt denial, speak to your creditors, a financial advisor or registered debt counsellor.

If, on the relationship side of things, you are experiencing any of the following, then you should consider speaking to someone who can assist with your emotional issues:

– Conflict and constant fighting with your partner

– Lack of communication with your family

– Struggling to control your stress levels

– Battling to manage your anger

– Having panic and anxiety attacks

– Showing signs of depression

– Just not coping

One of the important steps that SADAG is taking since the results of their online survey, is reminding anyone who is struggling or not coping that SADAG is still available.

SADAG has various ways that you can speak to a counsellor – even despite load shedding, network issues and signal problems – there is always a way you can speak to a counsellor.

Call SADAG on one of the toll-free helplines - 0800 567 567, 0800 456 789 or 0800 12 13 14 (24 hours), or SMS 31393 and a counsellor will call you back, or chat to a Counsellor LIVE on WhatsApp Chatline on 076 882 2775 (8am to 5pm), or fill in a contact form on the website www.sadag.org, which has lots of information and tools to help you cope with all mental health issues.

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