International Men’s Day: Why men shouldn’t let money worries build up

Many men feel conditioned to stay quiet when they’re struggling and just quietly get on with things.

Even when life feels overwhelming, the message is that they should be strong, pull themselves together and not make a fuss.

But as we mark International Men’s Day, it’s important to recognise this problem and the damage this can cause.

Men staying silent about money worries

At Money Wellness, we see this pattern regularly.

In fact, less than half of the people we support are male - and half of those are younger men.

This suggests two things.

Firstly, women are more likely to reach out for help if they’re struggling with money.

And secondly, men over 45 are especially likely to stay silent.

Men waiting to reach crisis point before reaching out

Another issue is that when men do reach out, they often only do so after something drastic happens.

More than a fifth of the men we support only contacted us after losing their job or experiencing a drop in earnings.

And over a quarter only reached out after creditors, bailiffs or the courts got in touch.

So it’s clear many are waiting to reach a tipping point out of their control, rather than getting on the front foot and asking for help early.

Don’t suffer in silence

If you have financial problems, every day you put off reaching out for support lets them escalate and build up into something worse.

And that can, in turn, have a devastating impact on your mental health.

So if you’re ever struggling with money, don’t let things spiral.

Instead, take control and find out what options are open to you.

For example, if you’re weighed down by debt, then you can get confidential and practical debt advice.

And if you’re struggling with your day-to-day expenses, you might be eligible for financial support from the government - use our benefits calculator to see what help you could get.

Money worries can be extremely isolating.

But there’s no reason to deal with everything yourself and asking for help shouldn’t feel like an admission of failure.

Reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness, and you deserve help just as much as anyone else.