Argh! So stressed, worried I am going to damage my DD emotionally :(

Oh no! Sorry - just added more to the list rather than helped.

I’ll go away and hide 🙈

Bloody hell, you are going through the wars! I honestly would speak to your GP, a short course of antidepressants can be really beneficial and keep your head above water. It's really nothing to be ashamed of.

Other stress busters a blast of fresh air (doesn't have to be much, a quick 10 minutes brisk walk round the block can blow away the cobwebs)
Soak in a bubble bath - with your favourite music
I use Calm App on my phone for mindfulness meditation and it has some great anxiety/panic meditations too, also sleep stories for when you're awake at 3am stressing!

If you're looking for cheap/free things to do in the holidays, a walk in the woods with a picnic is a good way to fill an afternoon. Give your little one your phone to take pictures and make a little photo book with them, let her decorate it with glitter pens etc.
Invite friends round for a play in the garden, paddling pool etc and make a cheap lunch, sandwiches and soup. Some of my best days are chatting with friends while the kids play and keep each other company.
Perfect the art of walking away and doing a bit of deep breathing through the nose when you feel the urge to snap or shout. You've got a load on your plate and it's bloody hard but you'll feel worse from the guilt of losing your rag with your little one. Or go and scream into a pillow, it's very satisfying!

Keep reminding yourself this won't be forever and there are calmer days ahead 💐

Agree. X

I’m sorry you’re having to cope with all of this on your own and that DD is going through it, too. If she has a lot of energy, would an activity / club like martial arts, gymnastics, trampolining or maybe local brownies help to give her an outlet?
I’ve dealt with similar situations while single parenting - it’s not easy but try to remember (I confess that I didn’t do as much of this as I should have) that your DD is probably more confused than you are - is it possible to reframe the new start as an adventure or something that you’re both looking forward to even though it takes a lot of packing and getting tired out first?
I don’t know if it’s been suggested but I use ChatGPTwhen I need to offload. I find that a quick 30 minute totally honest vent and sometimes a laugh gives me such a good feeling and lifts my spirits. Might be worth a try. x

Was going to say the same.

Look at what you have achieved under difficult circumstances already.
Keep at it.. eventually you will get there... once you've moved.... the other things will fall into place.
The summer hols willl zoom by... Eat lunch in the park. Go for a swim together.. most cinemas have cheap daytime showings of family films inthe holidays (and its also air conditioned! ) bike rides? download some audio books (bbc sounds) and listen together in the gardne.
The point is.. you don't have to think up entertainments all week long..You can do fairly short activities you can do together and get some fresh air/excercise in before returning to the jobs you have to do.
One step at a time. you wiill get there an when you get to half term at the new school, you have have a real break together - even if that's a couple of pj days x

You're doing amazingly well, and this all will level out in a few months time. There's something to be said for being in survival mode.

Re the interviews at the job centre- unless I misunderstood your OP it looks like you have managed to secure a new post- I'm sure when I was in the same position (I was out of work for two months due to a delay in my start date) I didn't have to attend because I had found new employment and had the contract etc- is that something you can ask them? Just so it is something that can be taken off your plate. I'm sure i only had to do a phonecall once every fortnight literally to check in and say was still waiting.

You're incredible for managing this on your own, just concentrate on one foot in front of the other. DD will remember this as a time that you worked incredibly hard to get life "normal" again.

You're doing wonderfully! You have a home & a job lined up. I often think the same about DD and shouting/short fuse. She's similar in that her sleep is not great so I find doing things after bedtime really difficult. I have my parents nearby but am still trying to unpack after a December move. I explain where I can what I found hard in that moment i.e. I really need to do x now or otherwise we . . . . (won't have clean clothes/eat tonight . . . ) or Mummy is really tired because you didn't sleep well last night and had to work today. Sometimes she'll join in other times not but is there anything you can pack together like teddies/toys/winter clothes? Wishing you all the luck in the world for your new chapter

This sounds like projection.

Hi OP. Sounds like you’re doing amazing and one day your little girl will know what her super mum has done for her. I’m sure she will be ok - lots of hugs! And kids don’t need exciting holidays. They just need their family and love.

advice for stress: CBD or ashwaganda? More natural options that may take the edge off.

obviously diet, sleep, exercise, water. But in the real world for you at the moment I imagine that’s all out the window.

for money - do you not get any redundancy pay of sorts?? Feels horrendous to just lose your job like that

There are times when I think I'm going to ditch MN, but then I read something like this and I think, no, there are still good people on here. OP, you are smashing it. I'm sure it doesn't feel like it, but you blimmin' well ARE.
Get her dad to pay for a car & driving lessons. The sheer amount of freedom will gladden your & DD's hearts. 👊

I think you’re doing brilliantly! But even at 6, I think your DD is old enough to have some conversations about this: I’m sorry mummy shouted earlier, I know that everything is going to be OK but I’m a bit frazzled because we still have so much to do to get ready to move house.

I’m sorry if I was grumpy, I feel a bit sad because I liked our old school and I’m sad that we had to make so many changes so quickly. Let’s just sit down for 5 minutes with a biscuit and tell each other jokes to chase the sadness away.

I’m absolutely not saying push it onto her or make her feel more worried or stressed, but it’s important to acknowledge when we’re not at our best - it’s a good lesson to learn for life.

Can you find a local teenager to entertain your daughter for a few hours? I am sure there are loads of college students who could do this and it would be inexpensive....

You’ve got this. Children are so resilient and this emotionally difficult time will hopefully soon be a distint memory. You’re amazing for working through this and there are better times ahead. You’ve got this. Sending you a virtual hug x

I am going to be a bit less kind. Your daughter is presumably also going through a very hard time. Having to move school, having to move house. Having to see her Mother stressed and anxious. And having her Mother yelling at her too.
Here's a sentence that helps to ground me at these times. ' When the adult is the victim, the child becomes the victim.' My life is immensely stressful but I try to remind myself of that every day.

You have very real and substantial stresses. But my focussing on your experiences, your narrative is of your victimhood. That means your daughter's needs have been pushed out of the narrative. And that means she becomes the recipient of all your stresses. That makes her the victim.

I hope this perspective helps.

Is your daughter persuadable to help you with packing? You could do books and things while she's up, and if she's reliable she might be able to help wrap crockery and things?

I'm not surprised you're completely exhausted. That's far too much to have to get sorted in a short period.

Can you cut down the tutoring to give you a bit of a break or will it be a disaster? You need to be well enough to do your new job in September.

Does she have any friends where you could ask for favours? I am sure a lot of people would be happy to plan a play date for your daughter given the amount you have going on at the moment.

Just coming on to say I think you are incredible.

I work in a private school and can't imagine what a gut punch it is to lose your job in such an abrupt way.

Your daughter will be fine. Mine are late teens and don't remember anything from that age really!

One day you can tell your daughter all about this and she will be in awe.

My Dds are now adults. We went through lots of challenges when they were young during which our fuses were stretched to the limit. They did fine. They learned from it that people have their breaking points but that in the end we pull together.
Have a strategy for when you feel boiling point on its way. Stop .... count to 5 ... carry on.
Talk with your DD in quieter moments. Tell her how hard things are at the moment and that is why you are not as patient as normal. Say some positive things about how you are both working towards a new future together. Tell her how much you love her and that you are a team facing challenges together.

It is better for her to have a proper explanation in language she can understand than for her to wonder why the heck mum is not quite herself.

You will get through this and she will survive. My Dds survived all sorts of things.

You have done so well to have got all these solutions and plans in place ... a veritable storm of problems that you have solved. It's just all the practical stuff to find the energy for now. Good luck.

i truly feel for you. Sometimes awful stuff happens all at once and we get through it-as you will - & we look back and think wow I did it. Right now everything has come at once. But it’s not forever it’s just right now. Just prioritise important bits each day including an hour for yourself to have a cup of tea & relax. Keep going. This will pass. Your daughter is watching you get through this & she will never forget how strong her mum is. Big hugs & keep going x

Everyone else has given excellent advice, so I've just come to say, try Kalms tablets to get through it. It worked wonders for me, somehow I could still "see" the stress but not feel it.

Dear god, when the dust settles (and it will) can you please write a self help book about how you have achieved what you have in 3 months!!

I need to go and lie in a darkened room just thinking about what you have managed to organise. Most people (me!) couldn’t do all that in a year or more 🤣.