Hi Beauty,

What a great and important question — thank you for asking it.

Honestly, I don't invest as much time in my mental or physical health as I do in my career. I’m currently working two jobs and averaging around 45 hours a week. By the time I finish work and take care of everything at home, I’m usually too exhausted to focus on my well-being.

Financial constraints also play a big role — I often don’t have the resources to prioritise my health the way I’d like to. It’s something I find quite worrying because I’m fully aware of how important self-care is.

As a single parent, investing time and energy in myself can feel like a luxury I can’t afford, even though I know it’s necessary.

In our community there is a stigma for mental health and treated it as a madness. So, we don't disclose about our mental health though we have and bear in silence. We just invest our time in our physical health and most of the time ignore our mental health which shouldn't be.

I probably do, since these days with a job, studying and a lively 10 year old, there isn't much spare time for mindfulness apps, wellbeing podcasts, yoga, swimming, running, etc. and with my career at a stand point thanks to multiple redundancies, terrible bosses/toxic work cultures and greatly limited or very low-paid opportunities in my field, there isn't a great deal to be positive about career-wise either. I've become expert at the pivot though, so am currently studying Counselling Level 2 with a view to branching out and / or supporting my existing skills. My love of learning and CPD has always meant I'm willing to invest in my career and this time, I really hope it leads to increased pay & prospects, so I have the time & money to invest in my health & mental wellbeing too!

In all honesty I don't believe I invest in all three of these things as much as I need to.

I wish I could allocate time and energy to my physical and mental health as well as a career, however life seems too chaotic for me to do so.

For a start, I struggle to do everything every day, due to health complications and immobility so life is already doubly difficult than it would be for a person without this condition.

Secondly I have no practical emotional or financial help to deal with day to day struggles.

It is good that free school meals in England being expanded but it should be universal meaning for everyone but not only for universal credit holders.

Child Poverty strategy meant to be review and postponed for further review is expected.

No, I don't allocate same amount of time for mental health like physical health. Physical health can be seen but not the mental health and that's why most of the time it over looked by patient as me. In my case, due to several physical health issues my mental health deteriorate. Also, the medications for my physical health help me to deteriorate my mental health. So, don't have any time to focus on my mental health.

I wish I did invest equally in both my physical and mental health, but must confess, that the emphasis tends to be on my physical health because it's more visual.

Having said that, I do understand that good health is good wealth regardless of what area of health needs more attention in a person, be it physical or mental. They go hand in hand in order to obtain optimum output.

In other words, they are two halves of the same coin.

I do invest time in my mental health nor my physical health.

I have no career.

I am a full time carer that has to claim benefits.

I have no support which impacts my mental health.

I am stigmatized and judged by locals in a conservative council area where majority of locals are wealthy and married to offshore workers.

I am prescribed high doses of antidepressants and high blood pressure medication which causes drowsiness.

I feel trapped on medication and isolated as a shameful benefit claimer.

Ironically, the stigma of claiming benefits worsens my anxiety.

It's been nearly 10 years since I worked to earn. I am slightly more financially better off being a full time carer claiming benefits than I was working.

I feel completely worthless and useless.

I tried walks but I notice others when out in couples or purposely going somewhere.

I cannot afford to keep up with wealthy women in this town who have busy social lives and afford appts for hair and nails. and a personal trainer and holidays and pay for all the kids clubs and a car.

I have experienced being snubbed and excluded from school mum cliques.

Even my own grown up daughter and partner do not respect me due to not meeting their expectations of wealth through hard work.

I constantly fear for the future.

My daughter is naive and struggles with others. She is nearly 19 and never had a boy or girl friend. She does not show any want to move on in life.

She becomes overwhelmed easily in busy situations. I muster up the energy to care for her but that is draining me mentally.

We both physically sleep for most of next day after she has had a meltdown.

I'm worried sick about her and my benefits being removed due to politicians' decisions.

We take one day at a time and that is the best I can offer at present.

Life passes by before I realise that my mental health is suffering. I’m working, surviving, doing what needs to be done. But I can’t afford to stop. Therapy, rest, even just time to reflect, all feel out of reach.

People talk about free resources, but

they rarely mention the long waits, the energy it takes to access them, or the fact that help is rarely designed for those already stretched thin.

There’s also a quiet shame in struggling. You’re simply expected to keep going. And so you do - until you can’t.

Mental health shouldn’t be a luxury. It’s not about self care. It’s about systems that make space for people to actually breathe.

Free school meals for those on Universal Credit Vs the benefit cap for those who have more than two children.

Personally I was elated at the news that everyone with children on Universal Credit are entitled to receive Free School Meals from September 2026. That however should not have been at the detriment of those who receive a UC award for those who have more than 2 children. Why is it that we’re always pit against each other in the media? That has never been the case! It’s entirely possible for the two groups to agree.

Recently I have been worried about this and how as a solo parent have been able to afford my youngest child’s lunches. In our case, my eldest is eligible until he’s sixteen (not long to go there!) But I’m left with contemplating extra costs when my youngest child ceases to be eligible for FSM/ support with school costs. Just because I earn more than £7400.

I think the free school meals charge is a step in the right direction. Personally I do not think the government should scrap the 2 child benefit cap. I think spending more money on education and housing will have a bigger impact on the lives of those children living in poverty.

Feeling down this week, it's been a tough week and I'm feeling really deflated