The Mental Debt Struggle...

AntoMac

That’s great news on your course extension Keedie. Hopefully you now have a lot more time available to get stuck into it.

Baileys_Babe

Great news on the course extension.

How are you planning to schedule your studying? Set times, days each week? Certain number of hours a week? Reach certain points in the course by particularly dates?

Cherryfudge

How lovely not to have to make yourself go on with that job! Enjoy your freedom. 😊

It's interesting that you've felt able to speak to the course people now that you don't have work hanging over you, and really nice that they have made a reasonable adjustment.

I hope your granny is soon feeling better. Too many family visiting is a problem, though a nice one.

Humdinger1

As impressive as ever @Keedie! You're into a new phase now. Have fun love Humdinger xx

liselle

Good plan Keedie! Good for you, acting so speedily.

Keedie

Thank you all for being so supportive. I do feel renewed and able to handle another phase of recovery and doing something for myself. I have taken this week off and I'm decluttering with the help of my carer, so that I have all my study resources organised and I have the clarity of space to think and take in complex information.

My Reablement Worker is coming this Friday morning to help me get some kind of system sorted for all of my papers. My filing cabinet is empty, aside from colour coded suspension files, so I need to categorise things and get rid of all of the unnecessary papers and file the rest. And my carer comes Tuesday and Wednesday morning and she will help me with my home organisation and decluttering as well. So I have to ease back into studying whilst I'm getting on top of the flat and a better routine.

From next week, I will do a couple of short study sessions on set days. No more than 1-1.5 hour blocks so that I don't get too tired. I'll start on less than half of everything shown in my provisional week below, and will steadily work my up to my proposed structure. But I am flexible with it as life and flare ups happen.

The creative sessions being something like working on my novel or colouring paint by numbers on my iPad. And mental wellbeing, might be something like attending the mental health day centre and the activities that they have, or reading, or going for a short walk etc.

Motivation Monday = 2x study sessions & something creative

Transformation Tuesday = decluttering/home organisation & something creative

Wellbeing Wednesday = 2x study session & mental wellbeing group session/solo activity

Thoughtful Thursday = 2x study session & something creative

Fun Friday = 1x revision session, creating writing group & socilalising

Sort It Saturday = As my carer comes on a Tuesday and Thursday, Saturday is the day we work together to get on top of the flat so that it doesn't build up. We'll figure out a meal plan based on what we have upcoming the following week and do an online food shop. And deal with dreaded life admin.

Salon Sunday = self care, cooking and financial Sunday Summary

I've not a routine in a very long time, so I am looking forward to trying to take back some control of my life and reduce my bad habits. Once I get back into the habit of studying, I'll switch it up a bit, so that I can join the gym to start swimming again as I don't exercise and that seems like the least impactful way I can think of getting healthier without asking too much from my body.

Keedie

I forgot to say that I put £100 into savings challenges and £2.65 into spare change challenges. I'm steadily working through a binder of savings challenges, and estimate that when it is complete, I will have saved approximately £650. I can then split that across life, debt and savings. I need to go back to my Freely Debt Saving methodology, and save a chunk and then split it into section so that I can still enjoy life, whilst focusing on debt and setting aside savings so that the debt does not increase.

Baileys_Babe

I like how you are planning to structure your weeks a good balance and not letting anyone area dominate.

Keedie

I got my final pay yesterday and sat down and figured out my whole budget, and how to fit everything in. I think I finally have a balanced approach, where I can still realistically live, have some money for myself, save, top up sinking funds and set aside money for debt repayments.

I didn't pay a chunk of debt off in the end. I saved £500 as an income buffer for August's budget, as my income this month reduces my universal credit on 1 July. And I put the other £500 into a pot, so that my weekly budget has a boost, and can account for 5 week months. The last £200 has been split across my emergency fund, stocking up on cat litter, cat food, household supplies and I'm doing a bulk online food shop this evening.

Doing things this way takes the pressure off me to live on the lower income. I've overspent in recent months, and that includes the month when I had no income due to being off sick, but I didn't reduce my spending/budget accordingly. And with all of the bike expenses, I've depleted the savings that I had in place.

I am hoping that by being more balanced @Baileys_Babe that I won't get too overwhelmed and become mentally and physically ill. The decluttering is going well, so I've decided to take next week off from studying as well, whilst I've got the momentum to change my home environment. That will help me to have a clearer head to study anyways.

My Reablement Worker came today and she was very impressed with the progress that I am making with decluttering my flat and getting through a checklist of items to help with my life admin. It was the perfect boost that I needed to feel like I have more momentum with getting on top of things/life.

daisy_1571

success breeds success! Great stuff getting house sorted as that will make life generally be easier and it will be easier to study, to find things, to put things away thereby keeping on top of it. Fabulous stuff.

also great idea to use your funds to get set up and give yourself that starting point of getting straight. From that, the savings will be easier and the debt repayment will follow.

I find it much easier for my food, household, petrol etc etc to have a weekly standing order from main 'bills' account over to my 'household' account. It takes having that first bit of money to cover the 5 week months to get started but now I don't have to try to keep on top of a month's household stuff, just a week at a time and I alwaysknow that in a few days time another £125 will be appearing in the account.