wintermoth:

aquadraco20:

pyroteknich:

mycatisabunny:

I feel like I should make a post about this because it’s not something that’s very well-known, and that Americans in particular may need to know about given the uncertain state of our healthcare system at the moment. I’ve wanted to write this out for a while, It’s kind of a long post, so sorry about that!

If you have an emergency and have to go to the hospital, you’ll owe the hospital a lot of money.
(I got into a car wreck and broke my ankle and my arm. My hospital bill was around $20,000)

You’ll also owe the ambulance provider, if you need one.
(My ambulance bill was about $800)

You may get separate bills from the anesthesiologist or surgeon.
(My anesthesiologist bill was $1,700)

You may need follow-up appointments.
(My orthopedic surgeon billed me for the appointments and his surgery together and it was about $1,000)

You’ve also got to pay for medical equipment you need afterward, like crutches or a walking boot.
(Mine cost about $75)

Altogether, I ended up with almost $24,000 in medical debt from one car accident. That’s a really scary number for someone like me who makes $10/hr at a 12 hour a week job.

I got my debt down to $1075 by making some phone calls and submitting some paperwork.

The first thing I did was contact the hospital. They don’t make it easy to find, but many hospitals (perhaps most hospitals?) have financial assistance programs for people who can’t afford medical bills. I don’t make a lot of money, and I have bills to pay, so they were able to help me.
I called the billing department and asked if they had any assistance programs for low income people who can’t pay their bills. I had to call multiple times, and I got transferred in circles by people who didn’t know what I was talking about. Finally, I got an appointment with someone in “Eligibility Services” (I don’t know what other hospitals call it, if it’s something different). I had to bring my pay stubs and copies of all of my bills. When I got to the hospital for the appointment, nobody knew what I was talking about so I had to wander a little to find where I needed to go. I spoke with the guy in Eligibility Services, and I waited for a decision on how much of the bill they would forgive. A month later, I got a call telling me it was totally forgiven.

I did the same thing for my ambulance bill and my anesthesiologist, but the process was a LOT easier. I just had to mail some paperwork and it was totally forgiven.

I didn’t bother with the medical equipment suppliers, since the bills came from separate companies and I didn’t feel like going through the process twice for $75. I was assured at the hospital that they had similar programs for debt forgiveness, so I could have probably avoided paying that too.

The only thing I couldn’t get taken care of was the surgeon/follow-up appointment cost, but they were able to put me on a no-interest payment plan.

Medical debt is scary because it’s something that can come from stuff that’s already really scary. I didn’t need the burden of $24,000 in debt on top of trying to get around on a crutch with a broken arm (it’s not easy, believe me!).. but I can’t imagine what it would be like with a bigger debt or a more severe medical emergency.
I see lots of people in even worse trouble than I was in, both financially and medically. Please know that there are options for you when that GoFundMe doesn’t do enough. Even if your income is higher than mine, it’s worth a shot even for partial debt forgiveness.

I am about 900% sure there are people who don`the know this. 

PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU LIVE IN AMERICA AND HAVE MEDICAL BILLS

I had to do this once as well and I can ABSOLUTELY confirm that this is true.

Get in contact with the hospital. Don’t just…sit there and let the anxiety grow and panic and then ignore it in an effort to find peace.

shelbys-advice-blog:

crisis/urgent support lines and sites

• hotlines/crisis lines for depression, domestic abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, teens, pregnancy, lgbt and more
• mental support community – a forum where you can post that you are in a crisis right now and need peer support as soon as possible
• imalive crisis chat – online one-on-one chat for if you’re in at risk of hurting yourself etc
• self harm alternatives
• si urges alternatives

relaxation/anxiety relief

• do nothing for two minutes
• interactive silk art
• guided relaxation
• watch a dream
• 100,000 stars
• thisissand – create sandscapes on your screen with your mouse
• calming gif

the quiet place project

• the quiet place – find some quiet
• the thoughts room – a super calm page to unburden yourself from bad thoughts
• the comfort spot – a place for anonymous venting with out anybody judging you for who you are
• the dawn room – my personal favourite, especially good for when you feel alone
• know that it will be okay – when a moment is too hard for you – come here.

music and sounds

• my anxiety relief playlist – on 8tracks
• my positivity/recovery playlist – on 8tracks
• ‘stay strong’ playlists – on 8tracks
• coffee shop sounds
• rain sounds
• calmsound – nature sounds
• rainycafe

comfort food

• one minute cookie in a mug
• brownie in a mug
• several cookie recipes
• 25 hot chocolate recipes
• loads and loads of snacks – 533 quick and easy recipes for a range of snacks on studentrecipe
• lots of different in-a-mug recipes
• chocolate pudding in a mug – my personal fave (lil tip: add mini marshmallows for extra gooey yumminess)

advice and tips

• how to be okay with yourself
• 25 resolutions
• life hacks
• more life hacks
• a hella ton more life hacks – so many life hacks dude soon ur gonna never have a day-to-day stress again
• school masterpost – school sucks so bad but hopefully this can help ease the stress
• how to love yourself
• how to bypass restricted wifi omg
• alleviate menstrual cramps
• boost your confidence
• love yourself!
• self help after anxiety
• stop biting your nails
• stop procrastinating
• stop skipping breakfast

videos and movies

• cure to sadness (video)
• the movie blog – a blog dedicated to movie masterposts you will never be without a movie to watch again
• cute roulette –
  THE BEST PLACE ON THE INTERNET ITS LITERALLY JUST A HUGE ROULETTE OF
  VIDEOS OF CUTE ANIMALS WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT FROM LIFE
• random acts of kindness caught on film
• disney movies
• movies for angsty teens

distractions etc

• rice questions – answer simple questions and donate free rice to people in poverty!!
• click to give –
  just click a button to donate (it costs nothing) food to animals
  shelters, people in poverty and homeless veterans; mammograms to fight
  breast cancer; therapy for people on the autism spectrum; alzheimer’s
  and diabetes research; a book to a child; protect wildlife habitat
• break something – good for anger
• loads of cute games
• how to make a blanket nest
• learn something new – a masterpost of hobbies
• exercise like a superhero
• nice words
• things to do when your sad
• slap a bald guy with an eel – this is ridiculously entertaining
• watch a dog lick your screen – it loops, so you could literally watch for hours if you want
• calmingmanatee
• daily puppy
• how to make a comfort box
• download free books

extras

• emergency compliment!
• lots of compliments – they even include ur name aw
• huge list of bloggers who have put themselves forward as willing to listen/chat without judgement
• getting anon hate?
• 🙂 tag – all the posts that i’ve tagged for making me happy
• 7cupsoftea – free, anonymous, confidential talks with trained listeners
• get a hug

Calming songs, playlists and instrumentals:

• Sing Me to Sleep
• The Boulevard of Broken Dreams
• Boost your Mood (peppier and happy songs)
• The Driving Mixtape
• Study
• Summer Nights
• It’s Going to be Fine
• Calm & Collected
• Once Upon a December – Piano (song)
• Clair de Lune (song)
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (song)

Calming/distracting Websites

• The Quiet Place
• Rainymood.com
• Calm.com
• Soundrown.com – calming sounds to mix and match
• A website to distract yourself
• A recovery masterpost
• A post of interesting things
• Ungruntle yourself
• Press a magic button and fix everything
• Play cute games
• Almost every movie your little heart desires (i suggest you use with adblocker)
• How to love yourself
• A website that compliments you

Crafts and activities, easy and fun DYI projects

• Glitter calm jars
• A list of things to do to curb anxiety
• Make a blanket nest
• Silky summer legs
• Lots of food recipes; mostly desserts  
• For bad days masterpost
• Make some microwave snacks
• Five minute fudge
• Make a phone case
• A bunch of hobbies!
• Self care list!
• Pretty gold-dipped feathers (for decorating or anything)

What to do when:

• You’ve been triggered
• You’re having an anxiety attack
• You’re having a panic attack
• Your face is red and puffy after crying
• You just had a fight
• You hate yourself
• You want to avoid being stressed
• You want to get over your ex

Meditation and breathing

• Guided Meditations
• Do Nothing for 2 Minutes
• Calm Down
• Meditation Tips
• 90 second relaxation exercise

Simple things

• Pretty Tree
• When You Feel You Have Lost Everything
• See Some BLOOD
• Press a Button to Make Everything OK
• Calming Manatee
• Calming Gif

Make Something!

• Jump into a Sofa Fort!
• Make a Comfort Box
• Glitter Jar Or This One

Other Nice Things

• A Page To Help You Recover!!!
• Coping Skills & Distractions
• The Quiet Place. Shhhhh
• For When You’re Upset
• The Nicest Place on the Internet
• Player 2
• 10 Most Relaxing Online Games
• Talk To Someone That Will Listen
• Not Having a Good Day?
• How-to Love Yourself
• Ground Yourself X X  X
• Mood Chart
• Do Nothing For Two Minutes
• Rainymood
• The Comfort Spot
• Weave Silk
• Seed Plant Breeder
• This Is Sand
• C.A.L.M

Calming/Relaxing Music:

• Soft Piano: x, x, x, x, x
• The Sound of Waves: x
• The Sound of a Storm + Waves: x