Hi there.

I never really thought I'd get to a point where I'd have to be on here literally begging for money like this, but I'm afraid that's where I find myself. Here is my story.

i have suffered with anxiety severely now for 6 years, and always fought hard to shrug it off and co-exist with it. For a long time this worked well. I have always been hard working, and like to think of myself as a good samaritan. I was always very charitable and even once paid for a poor guy who'd fallen on hard times to stay in a travelodge for a night and have a warm bed to sleep in.

This was back up until July of last year. The place I was working at the time shut down, and we all found ourselves out of a job. Now although this may not seem like the worst situation in the world, something in that moment, finding out I was out of work, not only sent my anxiety spiralling to a new low, but I rock bottomed into some serious depression. Since then, I have tried to go back into work 3 times, and each time was let go after less than 2 weeks. I tried my absolute hardest to work myself into the ground for each company, but every day I was breaking down, struggling to leave the house, bursting into tears and shaking in the stock room. Things just got worse and worse, and last month, culminated in me being talked down from the edge of a 15 storey car park by a kind passing stranger. I was so convinced I was going to jump that day, and if he hadn't been there, I would have.

My wife works tirelessly to try and provide for both of us, and she is the most loving, understanding, amazing person I have ever met. But her job isn't well paying, and with rent and bills and just enough food to survive, we find ourselves slipping further into debt each month. We have tried everything. We have downgraded into a cheaper houseshare, living in an 8ft by 8ft room, sharing the house with 6 other people. We have no family who live close or have room to stay with, and they also barely make ends meet financially. I have always been so wary of asking people for money, thinking that people work so hard for what they earn. But I am desperate. So desperate. Me and my wife are currently just under £1500 in debt, and it's only sliding further. I wouldn't dream of asking for such a huge amount in full, but please, if you can spare ANYTHING, just to help clear even a small fraction of that debt, you would be making a life changing (literally life changing) gesture of good will, to two genuinely nice people who are struggling in life, due to an unforeseen mental health issue.

If you feel like you want to help us, we would be so so grateful.

obviously I'm not expecting anything to come of this, but any sort of donation would make SUCH a difference to two genuinely nice, hard working people, who don't want to be rich or live a life of luxury, we just want to keep a roof over our head.

thank you so much for reading.

Joe