Top Tips
This Talk Money Week, read our conversation guides around money worries
Talk Money Week (November 6th – 12th), run by Money and Pensions Service, is an annual awareness campaign devoted to encouraging us to be more open about money worries and finances with our loved ones. It can be difficult to talk about money, and difficult to even learn about money management if you live with financial anxiety or feel overwhelmed at dealing with financial matters. Making money matters easily digestible is at the heart of what we do at Mental Health and Money Advice, so we want to encourage you to read our guides to support you in having open conversations about money.
Why Talk Money Week is important
Shame around money and financial anxiety are unfortunately common experiences. Research by Money Helper found that one in three of us say thinking about our financial situation makes us worried. With the cost-of-living crisis affecting many of us, it’s important that we feel able to have honest conversations about money without shame. This can help us to develop better relationships with managing money and saving, but also, when we have conversations about money with young people, we can help them to develop positive experiences with money management that will support them through life.
Talking about money can also help us face difficulties such as debt and financial hardship. Beyond having conversations with our loved ones, organisations such as National Debtline and Citizens’ Advice offer independent advice for everything from seeking benefits to seeking help with debt. If money worries also affect your mental health, you can seek talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to tackle fears around money head-on.
How to start talking about money and money worries
The theme for 2023’s Talk Money Week is ‘Do One Thing’, so we’re encouraging everyone to make their “one thing” reading and sharing our conversation guides about money. These conversation guides have been produced by Mental Health UK, the UK-wide charity that developed Mental Health and Money Advice.
Read our conversation guides to support talking about mental health and money below:
Conversation guide around money and mental health
Conversation guide with young people about money
Further Reading
The conversation around money doesn’t stop with Talk Money Week. Mental Health and Money Advice has several tools to make managing money easier. Get started with our Budget Planner, a guide to beginning to save money for the things you want in life, and our regular “Top Tips” blog about money and mental health.
We believe in the importance of having genuine conversations about money, debt, and welfare benefits, and the effect they can have on mental health.
Please share these guides across your networks to encourage others to talk about money and mental health with people they trust using the hashtag #TalkMoneyWeek.