Young people: The cost-of-living crisis is hurting adults socially and mentally

Many young people are struggling with daily costs due to high prices, prompting concerns about loneliness and mental health.

▲ Money- a set of notes only. Photograph: Pexels

The COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have all generated supply chain disruptions that have sharply increased the cost of living for millions of people worldwide, including young adults who are negatively impacted socially and psychologically.

According to The Office for National Statistics, prices overall increased by 1.5% in September 2022, compared with a smaller rise of 0.9% in September 2021. The annual rate of inflation reached 10.1% in September 2022.

Safa Khalid, 23 years old, a childcare student at London Metropolitan University says that “I had a full schedule with dinner parties, cinema visits, Sunday breakfasts, and takeaways at friends' houses. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused a real crisis to the cost of living, and my finances have been so squeezed that I barely visit friends once or twice a month.”

According to the House of Common Library, financial difficulties can cause chronic stress and limit healthy choices in other aspects of life. Rising living costs might have far-reaching consequences, such as reducing socialisation or overworking.

Safa adds: “I started to feel isolated and lonely as friendships have become much more difficult for me to manage since I became more cautious with how I spend my money. The more I say no, the fewer people will invite me to events, and hence the more friends I will lose.

In addition, this gradual rise in pricing makes me feel stressed and anxious, especially when I overthink that I might have no friends to go out with or I'm not gonna be able to enjoy my life as it was. This causes me sleeping problems like insomnia where I do not get enough sleep at night and occasionally have bad dreams."

Rising fuel costs make it difficult to visit friends, especially for those who live outside towns and may not have access to frequent public transportation. According to the House of Common Library, fuel poverty is linked to poor maternal mental health, as well as other issues such as a lack of transportation to socialise and attend appointments.

Cara Blackhall, 26 years old says: I got a new job in Paisley which is 20 minutes away from where I live and the only thing that helps in my job is communicating, but I'm now stopping communicating as much as I can, whether it's going out to dinner or meeting a friend or shopping because I need to save my fuel for only coming to work.

I feel that my vibrant social life has evaporated, and I've obviously drifted away from my more extensive social network which is really impacting my social and mental health. This is the hardest time I have ever felt so lonely and stressed.

I hope that the government reduce costs so that we can afford to buy everything we like, go to restaurants and have fun with our friends and beloved ones again. This will definitely improve our mental and social health again."