My first post, and I am a bit overwhelmed; can anyone relate?

[PushRestart]

Welcome, PushRestart! After knowing for two years this economy is bad, in August I gave serious thought to filing BK. I knew I wasn't the only one and the economy is forcing many into filing. I told myself that I could either stress every day as to where my next job would be, for how long, and go through the cycle of transient work and do this for another five or seven years (depending on economy) and then find myself mentally and physically sick, broke and filing BK (OR) I could go ahead and file and get it off my back and find myself broke and filing now instead of years later. Filing now will give me the chance to save some money in the next several years as otherwise I'd just be plugging along and worrying myself sick for the next X amt of years (and maybe longer than seven, who knows?). At 53 y.o. now, I can't see myself waiting and then at 60 y.o. end up filing BK and being broke and psychologically distressed at that age.

The only thing that really bothered me at first was missing the first payments. I felt like I was committing a felony and there'd be a police car pulling up to arrest me. (lol) When the automated calls began and continued, I told myself, "This is just the ritual and these guys are in a cubicle a thousand miles away from me and this is just their job." I soon ignored the calls because they went to a second, seldom-used, cell phone and I'd changed my online cc info to that secondary number.

I hired an atty because I'm not swift enough on the uptake to do these papers myself. The worry that I'd been feeling for the last several years went away (because I'm normally in construction, traveling). All I had to begin focusing on was that I'd have to begin to have an emergency fund set aside.

I'd rather live in a tent at a fish camp than to have deal with the stress and worry as to whether I'd ever get this debt paid.

Like an old Alka-Seltzer commercial, "Fizz, fizz...oh what a relief it is!!"

Health is more important. If you don't have it, you don't have anything.

Hey Platter, I too was not sure I could do this myself so we brought in a lawyer to help. My wife and I have been getting a lot of hope from this forum and nice folks like you who have shared their stories with us. Thank you so much and have a great new year!