Finances are a major cause of stress and anxiety for many people – especially in a day and age of high inflation and rising interest rates. Last month, MNP reported just how worried Canadians are:
Significantly more people say it is getting more difficult to pay for transportation (45%, +9pts), housing (37%, +2pts), clothing or other household necessities (45%, +5pts), save money (49%, +5pts), and feed themselves and their families (52%, +5pts) compared to December 2021.
And with experts predicting that Canada is heading into a recession, those numbers will climb.
That’s why any mental wellness program must deal with financial fitness. ICBA Wellness dedicates an entire month to the topic, including offering some fantastic links to free, online courses from the Canadian Credit Counselling Society on things like budgeting, scams, food, and credit.s
The food costs one is especially popular right now, given the rising cost at grocery stores. It offers constructive, helpful tips to try and manage a grocery budget. Meal planning is a big one – writing and sticking to a list, and buying to that list instead of impulse purchases. It takes a little more time upfront, but does save you both money and time thinking of what to cook and eat later on.
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Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 80 companies and 8,000+ construction professionals better understand mental health. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.