Sometimes we all find ourselves in situations we never thought we'd be in, and all too often it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the silver lining on the cloud, that the situation will get better, that the greater the storm the brighter the rainbow, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - but learning to dance in the rain and all the rest.
In that instant, it's most likely that you can't see a way out, you're sure you want the world to swallow you up, or you want to run away from everything, it's easily thought about isn't it? I promise you that things DO get better, but I strongly believe that we're the biggest helpers to ourselves.
Take a relationship breakdown for example, if the relationship was controlling, unloyal and abusive, but you loved your partner and tried to change them to be a better person, will there be light at the end of the tunnel? On that particular relationship I highly doubt it, but that doesn't mean you should give up on relationships altogether. I've had two failed relationships prior to meeting Gareth, and now I'm happily engaged - due to be someone's wife, things really do get better.
Take the unhappy working role, quitting isn't an option but you're unhappy with your job, it's affecting not only your work life, but your non work life too. You look for jobs in the same criteria and fail to find anything suitable, just DON'T give up, there may not be anything within that certain hour, but an hour later someone could post the ideal recruiting post for you. So in this instance, we mustn't give up straight away, instead we try to ride the storm, and see the rainbow at the end.
Another worry that many of us find ourselves in is money problems, I've lost count at the amount of money worries I've had since October last year, and right now I'm going through a difficult financial period. Making money quickly and easily isn't always possible, but we urgently need money, so what do we do? Most of us try to ask family and friend members to help us with those crucial bills first, before we raid the piggy banks filled with coppers and other small loose change.
We continually search the web on ways to make money, and most of the time, scams pop up letting us know how we can make money from the comfort of our own home, but first we need to give our card details over and pay a deposit. Paying for something when you've got no money is not an option, plus they're usually scams, so stay well clear of these sort of money making schemes.
Instead, join as many local buying and selling sites on social media as you can, go around the house and look for items that are not needed or used any more. For example, I have a electronic cheese grater, but it's so much hassle to take out of the cupboard, plug in and clean that it's easier for me to use the manual grater, I'd pop it on my local selling site for £5 and state collection only making sure I'm not wasting any money on petrol or public transport cost.
Me and Spud have a sort out every now and again, usually when one of the new Disney Infinity or Skylander games are coming out, he'll sort through any toys that are in a good condition and ask me to sell them for him, once he made over £100 just from the buy and sale sites. Another way to make money by selling your old goods is via a boot sale and online auction sites, but they're not free to enter and use, and you need to make money - not lose it!
If things are really that bad, and you can't see no way out, then think positive and tell yourself everything is going to be okay. I'd never recommended getting a loan, but I understand sometimes it's the only way to get out of a financial issue quickly and easy. If you do go down this route make sure you find one that's best for you, and read up on APR explained to give you a better insight on what kind of interest you'll be paying back.
If you're in a situation where you need to pay a bill and don't have the full amount, or any amount even, ring up the company who's sent the bill and ask for a little bit longer to pay the bill. As long as you make contact, most companies are happy to give you that little bit of extra time.
If the situation you're in is because you have no money to buy food, check out the local food banks to see how you can be referred. Alternatively, you can ask family members for a few items each to get you through the difficult period, you can make very cheap and hearty meals for a very affordable budget, things like tuna pasta bake, spaghetti bolognese and shepherds pie are hearty yet affordable.
If the situation is an ongoing problem, I suggest you make an appointment to see an adviser at your local Citizen Advice Bureau, they can help you with addressing debtors, as well as helping you with payment plans and arrears.
Remember, you may not see the light at the end of the tunnel straight away, but it's there, maybe a few more miles away then what you thought, but it's ALWAYS there!
Jada x
