Student loans killing me!! stressed!

[Nurselyfe92]

Hey guys,

so im in a ton of student loan debt about $110k to be exact. Found out last week debt of edu disqualified me from the loan forgiveness program TWO years ago despite turning in all my paperwork. I never got any letter/email stating they were disqualifying me either. I just happened to stumble upon some small print after I logged in to my account last week to make a payment. Needless to say I've been extremely stressed and feel like I'm drowning. I almost made a couple mistakes while at work because I think subconsciously I'm so stressed and distracted about my loans...then that made me even more stressed thinking about how I could've potentially harmed a patient (looking at the wrong patients lab results and almost replacing potassium when it was

already elevated). Thankfully I caught myself before giving it but I feel stuck. Plus I'm a travel nurse so I feel like my license is even more on the line at times. Always wanted to move out of the country or do a mission trip overseas for 6 months, but feel like I can't even do what I've always dreamed about because of my loans.

On top of it my car broke down and my travel agency won't help me out. They said they would take the cost out of my paycheck. So I went and rented a car myself and ended up denting it on a short pole that I couldnt see when backing out of a driveway. 🤯

Any advice on loans, how you deal with stress, etc would be helpful!

thanks all

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

My situation with student loans is a Greek tragedy. I'm still paying on mine from over 20 years ago. Why? Because I kept goofing off. I spent money on everything but my obligations. Ran up credit card debt, filed for bankruptcy, and then did it all over again years later. I found out some time after the second bankruptcy that I had a mental health condition that contributed in part to my financial problems, but by then it was too late and I defaulted. Now, as a widow on Social Security Disability, I am paying back those loans at a snail's pace, but at least I'm paying them and have the satisfaction of having pulled them out of default. I have very little money but by God, all my bills are paid at the end of each month. The take-away lesson here is, don't be like me. Work out a payment plan with your student loan servicers that you can afford and which satisfies the debt. Don't take on any new debt until you've whittled this one down. And by all means, don't live on ramen noodles or walk to work uphill in the snow both ways...but do work hard and get your finances under control. Good luck.