I'm so worried

jackie_w

Thank you all for your replies.

I am trying to think rationally about things. When I have been speaking to my doctor she said I have a habit of being irrational, and sometimes I can see where she's coming from.
I have been on and off anti depressants for the last 8 months or so, every time I start to feel a little bit happy I want to come off them! I guess I just need to stay on them for a little while longer.

We have just recently reduced our mortgage term by half, so I suppose if the worse came to the worse, I could always increase this.

I will put money by, I think I could manage about £200 per month, but can't do this until the end of July as we are going on holiday next month and I'm still trying to save up the spending money.

I'm just so worried about losing our home, but when I look at everything you have all said, I can see what you mean about managing, but then the irrational voice starts talking, telling me we won't be able to manage f anything happens to my husbands job because I only work part time (can't work longer hours because of child care issues). Then i star worrying about Europe and what will happen if it all breaks up, I keep thinking it will be like Armageddon!!!!

Many thanks for all of your advice. It's nice to know there is people you can "talk" to.

HeatherintheHills

I kind of know where you are coming from OP. All this big economic stuff that we can do nothing about, yet already affects our lives every minute of every day. I find it frightening and overwhelming too and know others who feel the same.

The suggestions about building up your savings are good but I found that taking more practical action help me the most. Do you have a garden or can you get the use of one, or an allotment? Start growing your own food, keep a few chickens, build up a bit of self sufficiency. Get the whole family involved, watch your kids having a lot of fun growing things.

The benefit is not just the satisfaction of knowing that you will have some crops to help keep your shopping bill down, which in itself is amazing. You will also find yourself coming into contact with people who are also trying to do what they can to protect themselves from the horrors of the wider world. Once you start you may find yourself exchanging surplus produce for things that you need, finding new and interesting ways of cutting down on spending, of making the money you do spend work much harder for your family.

If the meltdown so many of us fear does come, you will already have some resources in place to help your family get through it. But most importantly, it may help you view our uncertain future in a more positive light.

And stay on your AD's, why stop taking something because it is working?

BitterAndTwisted

Yep, stay on the ADs for a bit longer. I do understand the desire to come off them once you are feeling OK but the increase in anxiety when you do is showing you that you still need them for a while longer.

You think you can save £200 a month? Well, that's absolutely splendid! I bet if you put your mind to it once you're all back from your hols you could actually put a fair bit more than that away if you applied yourself and got the rest of the family on-board. Especially if you pay some visits to the Old-Style and DFW parts of this forum and have a think about how "wants" can differ from "needs".

Just try and concentrate on how much better off your family is now that your mortgage is so much smaller. That, and being able to afford a holiday makes you very lucky indeed compared to many.

londonsurrey

You have to train your mind to recognise the beginning of the spiral down.

The next time your brain "hurts", or you recognise a scary thought, or whatever you recognise as a bad thing, first make yourself take a tablet for the day, if you haven't already done so.

Then concentrate on finding a positive thought. For instance, think of the APR on your mortgage rate. Then remember how much extra you've paid into your mortgage with your savings. Then calculate how much interest you're saving each year by overpaying it. That's money you're ALREADY saving without any extra effort!

sarahlaurie100

You've used your savings in the past to reduce your mortgage and you're still in a position to save - so as others have suggested, you could concentrate on saving a few months' salary and then continue to blitz the mortgage once that safety net is in place.