Money as a Source of Trauma in Eswatini: A Mental-Health Professional’s Reflection

As a mental-health professional serving the Kingdom of Eswatini, I have witnessed countless forms of human suffering. But what I am seeing now carries a different, heavier weight. It is the quiet, persistent, and deeply wounding trauma born from financial instability, a trauma that, with a painful irony, I too experience in my own life.

Money is no longer just a tool of exchange, it is the new currency of pain. It has morphed into a primal source of fear, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion for countless emaSwati. The current economic storm, marked by brutal job losses, the widespread withdrawal of NGOs due to depleted global funding, the crushing rise in the cost of living, and an epidemic of personal insolvency—has unleashed a tidal wave of psychological distress. This suffering cuts indiscriminately across professions, generations, and social classes.

Eswatini is facing an economic crisis that is not only reshaping our institutions but is fundamentally remodeling the emotional lives of its people.

The global funding crunch has decimated the NGO sector, which for decades formed the backbone of health, education, and community development efforts in our Kingdom. These are not abstract job losses or statistics, they are retrenchments that belong to our loved ones, family members, our colleagues, our friends, and our clients whose lives were upended in a matter of months.

As professionals, we absorb these stories daily. We sit with individuals whose lives have been catastrophically interrupted by the sudden loss of income. We guide families through the chilling uncertainty of not knowing where the money will come from for food, school fees, or shelter next month.

Yet, when we leave our offices, many of us return home to confront the exact same realities: financial strain, overwhelming obligations, debts that weigh like anchors on the mind, and salaries that simply cannot stretch to meet basic needs anymore. The growing number of insolvent civil servants is a painful, undeniable truth: financial insecurity is no longer confined to the unemployed. Even those in supposedly stable positions are drowning in responsibilities they can no longer sustain.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking reality is the profound emotional state of our youth, the grief faced by today’s generation. Each year, thousands of graduates complete their studies with soaring hope and determination. Yet, only a small, privileged fraction secure employment. The vast majority are left paralyzed, educated, ready, but unable to move forward.

In counselling sessions, I hear young people express a devastating blend of worthlessness and helplessness.

• Some withdraw socially because they cannot afford the basics like transport or clothing.
• Suicidal ideation has become a terrifyingly common topic.
• Others remain silent at home, desperate to avoid the shame of being asked about job prospects.

Their dreams become not inspiration, but heavy burdens. Their silence becomes grief. This is not merely unemployment; it is emotional paralysis. Prolonged financial instability does not just deplete savings; it chips away at a person’s dignity. It creates a relentless cycle of anxiety, crushing self-blame, and shame. It forces individuals into a permanent state of survival mode, where long-term planning is impossible and daily life feels like an emotional battlefield.

As mental-health practitioners, we are trained to hold the stories of others with compassion and strength. But in this economic climate, many of us are carrying parallel burdens. We comfort others while fighting back our own tears. We speak about hope while silently battling fear. We encourage resilience while feeling deeply depleted ourselves. And yet, we continue because this work matters, because our people matter. Even healers need healing.

While systemic economic reform is necessary, there are vital emotional strategies that can help us, and the communities we serve, survive this difficult season:

Emotional Strategies for Survival and Healing

1. Acknowledge the Trauma, Not the Failure: Recognize financial instability as trauma, not a personal or moral failure. This reframing brings immediate relief and restores dignity.
2. Build Compassionate Networks: Emotional and practical support shared among colleagues, family, and communities can soften the isolating impact of hardship. We must be honest about our struggles.
3. Practice Grounding: Small, daily acts of self-care, breathing exercises, reflection, prayer, or movement can help rebuild inner stability when the world feels chaotic.
4. Separate Identity from Circumstance: Your worth is not measured by your income, employment status, or bank balance. It is essential to internalize this truth.
5. Advocate Boldly: We must collectively demand fair labour practices, funding stability, and true transparency from our workplaces and government structures. The psychological cost is too high to remain silent.

Let me be transparent: as I write these words, my hands are clammy, and my own anxiety makes it difficult to articulate the depth of this shared emotional burden. I am not shielded from this crisis; I am a fellow Swazi feeling the tremors of our nation’s financial instability in a deeply personal way. My commitment is heightened by the knowledge that my own children are growing up under this dark cloud, and the silent plea in my heart is that they do not surrender their hope, even when the path ahead is obscured.

Yet, I am bound by an oath, to help and not to harm, a promise I shall keep at all costs. In this environment, Psychology is no longer merely a profession or a career; it is a sacred mandate to defend our collective emotional core. This profound uncertainty threatens our well-being as much as our security. But this shared experience also creates a powerful, essential opportunity, to support one another honestly, compassionately, and without shame. To collectively acknowledge that financial trauma is real. To stand together as we advocate for systems that promote dignity and stability. Eswatini may be facing difficult times, but our humanity and resilience remain powerful forces of hope. Together, we can begin to heal.

About EPA