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PLEASE help me get off Benefits.
well i say Benefits, its only one. ESA.
please no smart remarks or benefit bashing, i genuinly want some help here.
i have tried looking for 'work from home' work for ages and i just cannot find anything.
i am saving up to do a sports massage therapy course, but its alot of money, and i will get zero extra help from the government for it (though they are paying for me to be on the useless work programme, which is doing nothing but making me worse
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basically suffer from really bad anxiety, i get up in the morning, and how people will get up and go to the toilet to pee, i will get up and vomit, this can happen throughout the day depending on how bad i am, and i literally have to find a window where i am 'ok' to eat.
Doctor also said i have all the symptoms of M.E, which explains why i am always tired.
my social life consists of whatsapp, and the internet. never go out at night, and stay in touch with friends by them coming over or meeting somewhere local.
just to quickly explain, i have tried doing everything to help myself. currently seeing a therapist (usually by phone)
Claiming benefits is making me even more miserable, its not a secure position to be in and i know they can be taken off me very easily, i feel like the sooner i am off it atleast one step forward. i would only need to earn £100 per week to be in the same financial position.
i cannot imagine who would employ me though unless it was an extremely flexable job. i basically need ideas. and also advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation?
i am 29 and envisioned i would have a business by now. its gone woefully wrong.
please no smart remarks or benefit bashing, i genuinly want some help here.
i have tried looking for 'work from home' work for ages and i just cannot find anything.
i am saving up to do a sports massage therapy course, but its alot of money, and i will get zero extra help from the government for it (though they are paying for me to be on the useless work programme, which is doing nothing but making me worse
)basically suffer from really bad anxiety, i get up in the morning, and how people will get up and go to the toilet to pee, i will get up and vomit, this can happen throughout the day depending on how bad i am, and i literally have to find a window where i am 'ok' to eat.
Doctor also said i have all the symptoms of M.E, which explains why i am always tired.
my social life consists of whatsapp, and the internet. never go out at night, and stay in touch with friends by them coming over or meeting somewhere local.
just to quickly explain, i have tried doing everything to help myself. currently seeing a therapist (usually by phone)
Claiming benefits is making me even more miserable, its not a secure position to be in and i know they can be taken off me very easily, i feel like the sooner i am off it atleast one step forward. i would only need to earn £100 per week to be in the same financial position.
i cannot imagine who would employ me though unless it was an extremely flexable job. i basically need ideas. and also advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation?
i am 29 and envisioned i would have a business by now. its gone woefully wrong.
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Anyway, you've obviously got a lot of time to spend in the house so maybe you should take up a craft that you can make money out of, like knitting? Knit jumpers and sell them on ebay or something?
instead of inviting friends over go meet them in the park or go with them to the park.
also go to the drs and ask for cbt to help your anxiety
unfortunately the only person who is going to help you is you! you have to break the cycle and stick to it
If it's too overwhelming for you to fill in forms etc, then I would urge you to go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau. They will listen to you and then they may make an appointment to help you apply for any other benefits you may be entitled to, as well as helping you fill in forms.
Hope this helps.
hi, i certainly do try and go out as much as possible to meet people when i am feeling OK, its mainly evenings which are the problem.
what grounds would i have to apply for this PIP though? i have heard of it and just presumed it was for people in wheelchairs.
No, it's for anybody who is unable to carry out simple day to day tasks without aid from someone else or causing health problems. Your ME would be one factor they would have to take into account, plus your emotional and psychological state.
CAB will advise you.
I really feel for you - anxiety is absolutely evil and not understood very well by those who don't suffer from it.
Are you undergoing treatment at all? I have had periods, where like you, I am vomiting, not eating and in a constant state of panic. I am on medication now and although it will always be there, I am a lot better, and it is very much under control. I sincerely hope your Doctor is helping you explore treatments that will work for you.
I don't really have any advice on the work front - but really, before you can properly concentrate on work you need to ease the anxiety.
PM if you want to
x
I guess it boils down to either finding work you can do from home; pursuing additional benefits (of which I have no clue, never used them, it's an alphabet soup of acronyms to me!); or getting a proper handle of the health issues, so you can seek work anywhere.
I'd be inclined to do the latter, force the issue with your GP, get proper medication, counselling etc. I know it is probably an uphill battle, but you sound, at least from what I've read, like a sensible and capable person. I'd try all you could to get yourself into a place where you can achieve some of the ambitions you have.
Obviously, in the meantime, there's no reason not to pursue the other benefit stuff people are mentioning, but just don't get stuck there I'd say... Long term that is... It's hard to motivate ourselves sometimes... But IMO, it's worth giving it a damned hard try! Good luck!
yes i have a therapist. but also on your point, the problem is being on benefits actually heightens my anxiety more, the constant worry about money, the feeling of my life being in the hands of some morons at the ''work programme'' (i know that sounds harsh, but if you met them you would agree
i will look into the processing.
i really believe the 'lifetime' on benefits thing is myth or only being taken advantage of by a very small minority. claiming is an uphill battle in itself.
sounds like me.
are you claiming ESA and have you been put into any sort of group?
these ''sanctions'' really are appalling !
what is universal credit ?
?
I have worked before in the voluntary sector helping unemployed people write their cvs, gain interview skills and land jobs. These people had usually been out of work for two years or more.
It is difficult to give great advice without knowing you (your skills, experience, trigger points etc) but I can say that with the internet, it has never been easier to earn money outside of the standard economy. Did you know you can make money from blogging and making videos? Mental health is finally getting more attention from society, perhaps you could raise awareness in a way that will engage people? You could make money and raise awareness of people like you at the same time.
You could also buy and sell things on ebay. A good tip here is to look for items that have been miscategorised, buy them and relist it.
If you want, I am happy to discuss this with you over pm.
Wishing you luck
Your choice is to find a solution to your physical problems, ie establish what is making you vomit, establish if you do have ME and then move on from there. Anything else is a pipedream until you sort out those issues.
hello. thank you for your points of which i am already well aware of
which is mainly why i asked for work from home opportunities first or similar such things.
the fact is, i am getting more anxious and worked up because of the benefits system. as i mentioned in my original post i am in a 'work related activity group'. and it is without exageration absolutely horrendous, and i dread to think how many peoples condition has worsened because of it.
i actually saw a glimmer of hope as my adviser said we would have a 6 week break and instead i would go to anxiety workshop every week for 1 hour with 3 other people with similar issues and another adviser who is also a mental health professional, we had 2 of these and i felt comfortable going to them and it was nice to share the same issues with people with similar problems, however today when i turned up to the third one, i was told the whole thing is off, she has a new position in the company and the workshops would not longer continue, with a slip for a new mandetory appointment next week with my moronic adviser. it. is. soul destroying.
Hey. I am not claiming any housing benefit as I live with parents .
I have briefly looked into PIP but I'm not sure on what grounds I would he entitled to anything ?
no i have to buy my own food and pay towards internet/tv etc.
im struggling.
sorry for the late reply, i am back in a desperate situation again. i really need to find something suitable .
the work programme have told me they cant help and i should apply for the support group - of which you only get into if you are close to death so i hear, and as i said, i want to get out of the benefits circle.
If JCP tell you to try for support group, I would try, sometimes it's as simple as knowing how fill in the form correctly and having the right people on your side.
There are websites and FB groups that can help you with that.
What about volunteering?
Don't rush into work before you are capable jsut because you feel under pressure from the DWP, it won;t do your health any good.... what abotu talking with your GP again?
In my experience, eBay selling can be very stressful as you have to deal with customer complaints and with getting packages to the Post Office in a timely manner. Knitting won't make much profit because it takes too long and because you are competing on price with Asian sweat shops. Also, most eBay sellers can't calculate all the fees, overheads and taxes and are lucky to make any profit at all.
I have made good pocket money by selling eBooks via Amazon Kindle but you have to be able to write in good English. Publishing eBooks provides a useful secondary source of income but you're unlikely to make a living. You would need several sources of income or a LOT of eBooks published.
A friend of mine has started to offer an on-line quilting course but, again, you would need some technical knowledge, good English writing skills and knowledge of the hobby that you are targeting.
https://quiltingoneness.wordpress.com/
You could offer a telephone answering service (ideal if your are virtually housebound) but, dependent on the nature of the business, it could be stressful.
You could offer a "finder" service where you search for products or information.
You could offer a bookkeeping service if your mathematical skills are up to it.
I once had a job tidying up photographic images for a company. They supplied the computer with software. It was tedious and I ended up with tenosynovitis. But it was an ideal "home job".
More ideas: http://www.The-Cool-Book-shop.co.uk/make_money/
You can claim both esa and pip.
wish i could offer some practical help, im in a similar situation, i live with my parents, suffer from anxiety (from the sounds of it not as badly as you do) and depression, i have been volunteering doing conversation work for 3 hours a week for the last 2 years now and it does help me
i know you want paid work (so do i i, do not want to be on benefits for the rest of my life, it is not a nice existance) but perhaps if you start off with something that may help you, i have found working outdoors relaxing (i know it may be a big step for you mqy help) , sorry if i have been no help i hope things improve for you