🩺 Ndlalane Health | Wellness Check Wednesdays *“Happiness Costs Nothing… Or Does It?”* 🕒 _Read time: 2 minutes. Maybe three if you’re sipping tea._ ⸻ Good morning, beautiful people. It’s a Wednesday — which means we’re checking in, checking hearts, and checking egos at the door. Let’s get into it, the Ndlalane Health way: serious, soulful, and maybe a little bit spicy. 🌶️ ⸻ We’ve all heard it: “Money can’t buy happiness.” Right? I believe so too, I know it can’t buy true love, inner peace, or that one person’s approval. But let’s be honest — when the fridge is full, the rent is paid, and the kids are in school, your anxiety isn’t exactly doing backflips, right? Here’s the thing: A recent study out of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia program, the biggest conditional cash transfer system on earth, found something profound. Families receiving as little as $17 a month were significantly less likely to die by suicide. The condition? Just keep your kids in school and stay on top of vaccinations. That’s it. Then they pay you every month. That tiny, consistent financial lifeline became a buffer between despair and dignity. ⸻ 🧠 This isn’t about Prozac(antidepressants) vs. Pilates (exercise). *This is about poverty as a public health crisis.* Let’s stop pretending mental health is all about serotonin and yoga mats. Yes, therapy is amazing. Yes, exercise is important. But try telling someone who hasn’t eaten in two days to “just go for a run.” Not only is it tone-deaf, it’s dangerous. ⸻ Psychotherapist Crystal Jackson nailed it when they said, “Mental health isn’t a mindset problem, it’s a resource problem.” 💵 Money doesn’t fix everything but it buys time, therapy, safe housing, clean food, and yes, breathing room. If we are being real: The people shouting the loudest that “joy comes from within” are either living in a cushy penthouse or surviving in denial. ⸻ So today’s takeaway? Before you label someone lazy, dramatic, or depressed — ask what they’re carrying. Ask what they lack. Sometimes healing looks like a hot meal. Sometimes resilience is just a paid electricity bill. ⸻ Stay well. Stay kind. If you have more than enough, share some. That’s also medicine. ✍️ – DocSakhi _Ndlalane Health. Where dignity is medicine._