Manage anxiety around bills and assessments
Here are some tips that other people have found helpful.
- Ask someone else to open your letters and bills for you. It should be someone you trust. They can let you know which of them are important.
- If you feel uncomfortable going into your bank or talking on the phone, find a bank that has online banking and web chat services.
- You could consider letting your bank know that you have a mental health problem. If you choose to disclose a disability, some banks may have to to adapt their procedures.
Tips for appointments and phone calls
- Make notes beforehand on everything you want to ask about.
- Collect all your paperwork together. It’s useful to have any bills, letters and bank statements with you. If you’re not sure what would be helpful to have to hand, you could call ahead and ask.
- If travelling, plan your journey beforehand. Leave extra time so you don’t worry about getting lost.
- Think about asking a friend, family member or advocate to go with you for support, or to be available for a chat afterwards.
- Make sure you understand what you’re being told, and what you need to do next. If anything is unclear, ask them to clarify.
- Afterwards, keep a note of everything that you talked about. You can also ask the person you spoke to to send you a summary.
Money and bipolar disorder
“I didn’t answer the phone and I wouldn’t open the post, and debt after debt stacked up.”
