Feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start

I know the answer is simple, to just start calling or making appointments. But appreciate anyone who can take the time to look this over and offer me any guidance/thoughts.

After 4 years of almost perfect reviews, things turned completely around at my job and it kind of felt like I was targeted. Ultimately it ended up with me being fired last month with 3 severance paychecks (one of which was already received). I have COBRA through October if I elect.

I'd been thinking about filing for a long time and the guilt, shame, blah blah blah kept me from doing it. I also "suffer" with a lot of mental issues one of them being late-dagnosed ADHD (last year) which did not help my job situation at all, and the burnout is real.

So that combined with the depression of losing the job, the shame, and the fact that I have so many questions or - I'm not sure how to explain it, but my ADHD brain goes wild at all the paths one can take or questions to ask. And it makes it very hard to start a task especially if it's new, requires taking to people etc. Even in this high tech world where virtual and digital appts are available I have a hard time.

And frankly, I don't want to work right now. I want to focus on my health. BUT:

I was making 53k and I have about...25k or so in credit card debt. Obviously I have no cash flow past this month. I own no vehicle, I live at home and pay a minimum amount of rent to my parents.

I've missed my first month of CC payments (Navy Federal did take my last payment automatically, but nothing else is automatic). I do have pay in 4 payments coming up which I can afford with the severance.

I guess... what's my best plan here? I was quoted $2500 or so to file while I was working and I never called them back. So these costs change when you have no job? Do I have to have no money (like do I burn through my money first and save minimal?) I plan on applying for UE (my reason for being fired was "not meeting goals" which were set about 2 months prior to the termination) once severance runs out. I have no idea what to do for a job and mentally and phsycially right now, I don't know if I could handle it.

I don't even know what I'm truly asking. Any ideas, or experiences like mine, would be appreciated. I will be looking at local resources and calling for more consultations but so far the legal aides I found are in a different county for those residents. But idk. I thought maybe posting here might give me a little more mental grounding before I start this.

I live in Wisconsin. If that helps.

TIA.

Posted Aug 11, 2025, 1:22 PM UTC

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