Money is one of those things that us Brits do not like to talk about. I feel like it is engrained in us from a very young age that money is a taboo subject. We tend not to talk about money in a general sense. I have never heard conversations about earnings, what we spend cash on and how it makes it feel.
Personally, I have always found it really strange. I know that I am the bizarre one in this situation to feel like this. All of the basic needs are humans can only be met by cash, but we still don’t speak about it. I thought that today, I would push some boundaries ever so slightly and speak about cash. To be precise, can money make you happy?
I grew up in a household where money was incredibly tight. It was a single parent household. My mom did everything that she could in order to give my sister and I everything that we wanted/needed. Usually, she could only do this by neglecting herself. However, that is a separate conversation for a different blog post. From a very young age, I used to hear the word ‘skint’ far too much. I know that they were just the conversations going on around me and probably not intended for me. But that really instilled within me the importance of money. Not only that, but it made clear the amazing possibilities that come from having extra cash.
Looking back, I had a happy childhood, but there was a lot of worry. I feel like even as a child I can remember the high anxiety of it getting to the end of a month and the cash running low. Naturally, the worries came from what I saw with my mom. She would expel high stress. Inadvertently got passed onto my sister and me. My mom really was a fantastic mom, but I think there was definite periods of sadness and unhappiness due to the lack of cash in our household. Even from a very young age, I can remember saying to myself, I would never be in this position. Never would my kids ever hear the words ‘I’m skint.
Now as an adult and understand more about mental health, I get that money is not the driver that makes you happy. You can have millions of pounds in the bank and be the most unhappy person in the world. I do however think that it can reduce your stress. There is nothing quite like going to bed at night with a pit in your stomach about how you are going to pay your bills. I speak to my mom openly and honestly about it now and she will be the first to say that she went through periods of depression.
Nowadays, I am blessed to say that money is not something that crosses my mind very often. I am incredibly fortunate that things fell into place for me and I stumbled into a job that I love where I earn good money. Not only can I pay for my own family, but I can help those closest to me too. Do I think that much of my happiness and carefreeness comes from having money? Yes, I do. I know that is probably quite a bold statement to make. For some people, that may sound quite superficial, but I think if you have ever not had cash, you get where I am coming from.
I would love to hear what you guys think. Can money make you happy? I don’t necessarily think that it can make you happy and keep you happy. However, I do think that it can massively reduce your stress and make you feel so much lifted. Please leave me a comment. Let me know your thoughts. I would love to know your stance!
