Darkness before the Dawn

Seems so many of us suffer from the weight of bills these days. It can be very hard to stay positive, I know, I've been in that spot before, I still struggle form time to time. All we can do is do our best and hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes you have to set your mind above your problems to survive. I try not to dwell on my money problems and other stresses in my life and concentrate on what I can do. I don't have any magic answers for you, if I did I wouldn't have problems myself. But I can share with you some things that helped me through some of the toughest times of my like. 1. Cry! There is nothing wrong with a good cry, I believe it washes the soul, it sure relieves some of the stress. 2. Try to reduce some stress in your life by doing some of these: walking (I find this a great way to think things over, I get some exercise too, actually makes me feel better too), hot baths or showers(just simply makes me feel better), Me time (doesn't have to cost anything just go visit a friend), share your grief with a close friend. 3. Except that you cannot change things overnight( or maybe never depending on whats going on )and find ways to work around it. 4. Remind yourself that it could be worse (some of my grief started when my hubby was diagnosed with cancer and could no longer work at all, in fact he has been diagnosed as terminally ill, this of course meant that I would have raise our kids and go to work and support our family of six as well, I had not much in the way of recent work experience as we opted for me to be a stay at home mom, what got me through those first months was thinking..it could be worse I could be ill too and unable to work, then what would we do?) 5. Remember that you are doing your best, what else could anyone expect you to do! I Hope that something here helps you a bit. :)

...Hi aurora, There is nothing at all wrong with crying. In fact we need to cry every now and then to relieve the tension, it's a stress releaser, so let the tears roll. It's worse if you don't cry. Many years ago, I had an accident and could not work on the job that I was doing anymore, my back was messed up. I went through annual leave, sick leave, my savings, and had four whole months without any income at all. Somehow I made it through, don't ask me how but I just kept moving. I was in great pain but things got better eventually. Today I am in a better place but it's still a struggle. We have to have determination at our core. It's in there, look hard inside, you cannot look at circumstances of today, you have to believe that. Look beyond today, look forward, grab hold of faith. I would also atrongly suggest you start meditating, go some place quiet, concentrate on the clouds, or still water or anything that quites your mind, and mediate on the peacefulness of the quiet. Your mind needs to rest. Say to yourself it will be alright. Do the best you can with what you have. Explain to the people you have to pay what your circumstances are, ask for time. Request a payment plan less than what you are paying, many, many people are dealing with the same problems. Companies have to try to be forgiving in times like these. It's a struggle but believe you will get through. See if there is anything that you can cut out of your budget to save some money. Hang in there. Time will come when things will resolve themselves. Chin up. Take care.

Hi Aurorastorm, I'm so sorry ....wish I could help. It is hard to stay positive, it really is. Times are really tough for so many people right now. Each month, I am always so relieved when I pay the rent and just the fact that I managed to. Last month I had the rent to pay, a huge bill and my daughter needed about 50.00 for school things and it was my other daughter's birthday all in the same week. I stressed for a bit and then I kicked back and figured I'd just deal with it all whatever came of it. The rent absolutely had to be paid and I'd saved most of it. If worse came to worse, my daughter could wait a week for her birthday gift. She is 24 and would understand even though I've never been late on things like that. I had to get my youngest what she needed for school and if my other bill was late and I got late fees...well I would deal. Well, at the last minute, I suddenly sold a bunch of my incense burners which helped a great deal. And then I found a scratch ticket on the ground that was a winner...25.00. In the end it all worked out. Breath deep, Aurora. Stress is not good. Sometimes even a good cry does help and this place is great for venting. I hope it all gets better for you!

Yeah things seem to be getting harder for everybody financially... (But don't blame it on the Dawn lol)...

You are not alone sistah! As I sit here in front of my computer at work, looking at the spreadsheet that I made that calculates every income and expenses I have, I realize that I actually have a couple of 'blackout days' ahead of me. These are the days where what I have will not cover all of my expenses. I would have to be creative to get through these days and reach payday.

I hope these tough times get a bit better for you and your family. Sometimes when it's dark one needs to turn on the light. I hope you can find a light.

A lil cry never hurt anyone. I totally know where you are comimg from. Life is too stressful when it comes to bills. And of course things like to raise their rates because we all got big executive bonus' from our job this year right? If you need to shed a tear we can cry together ;0)

Hi aurorastorm, I just noticed the last part of your name is storm, and I wonder if that is significant in how you are feeling? It is true, my friend, the darkness is the storm, but the dawn is the light back to better days. Whatever your crisis, just don't give into it. I too, have some major issues that I am dealing with that I don't discuss here, but I refuse to be beaten. So, this is what I do, I get up every morning and pray, then I say, "something good is going to happen to me today! and then I do all I can to make my day and the situations better. I believe that God will guide me through the day to talk to the right people and do the right things to put me back on track. I have to believe, unwise I would be doomed. I am holding on to my faith and I am beginning to see the dawn. The darkness is still there, but slowly moving away. We all need to cry and vent sometimes, but after the tears think about what you can do, little steps, to turn things around. If one door closes, don't be offended it just wasn't the right one. Keep going, the dawn will come. Good Luck

I hope things get better for you soon. I know money has been tight for everyone. My husband and I are going through the same thing. I wish the economy would pick up soon and that my husband can find a better job. Where he works at now they treat him badly and his immediate supervisor does things wrong and yet my husband gets the blame. I wish I lived closer to you so I could help you out. I know it is hard going through this and it is hard to think positive. I have been going through a slight depression lately and it has been difficult on me and my husband.

hey aurora; yes sometimes i feel the same way you do but then we can only appreciate the dawn when we have fully overcome the darkness. I understand about the money crunch I am in the same boat with you. Feel like I need to find another job, another site to earn from lol just to add up to my monthly income... I have a volunteer job helping people to have a new home something like habitat for humanity and i love it but then i spend a lot of time without any kind of remuneration but God is faithful he has provided everything I needed even with a limited income. He stretches out every cent and causes others to share their blessings with me. So I am never without...and never ran out of good things for which I am thankful.

Ahh yes this feeling I know so common. I get up everyday with the notion that things will be okay. It only takes a few minutes to get me in my slump. Basically the only that keeps me going is my faith that someday it will end. I know how you are feeling and wish you were not, but one thing to keep in mind is that we can only take care of ourselves if we plan to help out others. Outside of my humble advice I am sorry I cannot offer more help, just know that I think of you daily and pray that we can all find some mercy.

Yep. Makes you feel as if you would like to shoot someone or three. If it's any consolation, we will have to go through this for the next 8 years most likely. Every six months we have to go through a renegotiation process too.

..Im sorry to hear that...I am not really in the position to give you advise, but allow me to give you a bit of strength..."there is always a sun after every rain" as what they said..and i strongly believe in that...when im down, what can make me feel better is the thought that there are still those people who are always there for me no matter what happened and that there is someone out there who has the same experience or problem that i have right now or perhaps worst than what i have and he/she is doing everything he/she could stand up and fight...cry if you wish to, if that will make you feel better, but be positive always..someday, that dawn you've been waiting for will stand right in front of you...hope you'll be fine soon and good luck!

I am in sort of a money crunch myself right now but I keep trying to be positive and have hope. I told my youngest daughter recently that the sun will come out for us again. It is just a dark time we are going through but we will make it through. I am a believer in God. I have faith that He will help me and give me the strength to make it through and He does.