Am I the only one who sees a brown C5 envelope on the doormat and thinks "I'll open this when I've made a cuppa". My internal monologue goes crazy with mixed up words that don't fit with the flutter in my chest and that dread that goes with the action of tearing it open. Well today was a brown envelope day. It had DWP on the back. I tried to look through the window to catch a few words to give me a clue. Then opened it to see that my DLA as gone up by pence and that they are slowly rolling out PIP but I didn't have to do anything now. Big sigh of relief but I still have an aversion to brown envelopes.
Brown Envelope fear : Am I the only one... - Fibromyalgia Acti...
Brown Envelope fear
Written by
Sheila-Squirrel
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46 Replies
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Your not alone with that, there must be thousands of us terrified of those brown envelopes.
Hi Sheila-Squirrel
I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? I can genuinely imagine the relief of that! I want to sincerely wish you all the best of luck and please take care of yourself my friend.
All my hopes and dreams for you
Ken
As Shazzzy said your not alone lol. Atleast you got good news nothing for you to stress about.
Take care D X
My hubby walked in yesterday with a brown envelope for me. I am waiting for my Tribunal date and am hoping that with the new evidence i sent that i wont need to go. I must be in La la land.
My envelope was to tell me that i am being awarded with a 54p increase. WOW!
But yes i am terrified of brown envelopes. 
The "dreaded Brown envelope syndrome" works quicker on your system than an enema/laxative mega over load/dose!!!
DWP should patent it as a medical treatment!!!
BlueMermaid3 in reply to
Lol! 😊 x
Sheila-Squirrel in reply to
Haha... good one.
in reply to
I think a WMD is more apt.
They caught me out by sending mine in a white envelope!😱
Crafty..... though at least you didn't get the terror welling up inside you before you opened it 
xx
P.S I used to work for Local Council housing department and there were times when arrears letters - or other 'important' info. - would be sent out in red, or any other colour rather than white, envelopes in the hope they'd be opened by the receiver before realising who it was from!!
I used to work in a post room within a government department so can identify envelopes and a lot of senders before I open them. I'm happiest on Sundays as there's no post 😊
Yeah, I've had face to face appointment letters in white envelopes
in reply to Sheila-Squirrel
me too, nice trick they pull
Funny enough I got caught out with a white envelope when told I had to apply for PIP from DLA or should I say it stated my DLaA was ending and if I wanted to I could apply for PIP!
I'm waiting for that one to arrive. Hopefully not too soon. I have indefinite DLA but that'll count for nothing with PIP I guess.
I had DLA for life but still had to go through all the form filling and the medical assessment very very stressful but luckily I got the highest rate in both. It seems life no longer means life!
That's what I had heard so I'm holding out for as long as I can
Oh yes! How I hate those envelopes. I applied for an appeal and am terrified at the thought of attending a tribunal. I instigated this appeal but it still fills me with dread! Nausea and fast heartbeat.
Good luck with your appeal x
Thank you so much! Its such an ugly and unfair system. I just feel I have to stand up to the 'judges' who haven't a clue. Not a doctor amongst them. How dare they! Good luck to you too!
The good thing is most of those who appeal get the award. My friend has just got hers after 2 appeals and countless sleepness nights. She lives alone and has no other income and a mobility car through DLA. They allowed her her car but tried to take ESA off her.... makes no sense at all. Thank goodness someone saw sense and sorted it for her. Too many stories like hers though 😦
Yes and some who get awarded higher rates when they don't need it! I have seen it. I live alone but have my pension now thankfully. Can't drive so spend a fortune on cabs which they don't take into account. I think if I fail this tribunal I will have to give up. The worry it causes is making me worse. Hey ho. Thanks for your kind words!
I use cabs too and like you I'm limited to how often. I'm lucky that my local taxi firm is very cheap. My son told me about them when he was a student. Trust a student to find cheapest way to live. I check out all the deals going.
With you there Sheila-Squirrel - cuppa, sitting down in comfiest chair, right, here I go.......occasionally, "oh is that all" relief, file it 'for future refernce' xx
That's it, that's the feeling.
Yes I do! Yet I have been an OAP for three years. Just shows what an effect these envelopes have on us. Mine was about a pension increase. My friend with a disabled daughter bursts into tears each time one lands on her mat.
That's so sad 😕
I have just gone through this and have lost my car as a result. Currently doing a MR which was received by them on Thursday (signed for) but wasn't on their system when I called Friday.
The system went to pot when they centralised the post rooms rather than each office having their own.
It does feel you with dread, I hand anything like that over to hubby, coward that I am!
Guess I better hand mine to the cat 😁
You are definitely not alone there I dread a brown envelope comes my through the letterbox. It strikes me with terror and the stress levels jump. It's crazy really but we always suspect it's going to be doom and gloom and wonder how we will manage if they cut our money. Glad yours wasn't a bad letter. I have now been transferred to PIP so no longer have that worry of knowing it's coming soon. Xx
Ha ha same thing happened to me on Friday had my lunch first turned out to be a notification my ESA was going up nice but only delayed the pain dreading the changchange over fromDLA to PIP heard so many terrible stories
That's something I have been worried about. I'm on lower level of care element of DLA but know my condition has worsened. I even ended up at my GPs telling him about my legs so it was recorded somewhere officially. I don't want to force the issue because I would have to go through the PIP process earlier. I'm waiting for a Criminal Injuries compensation payout so I'm hoping that will come before PIP. Then I can get out of this horrible system that penalises someone for being ill 😦
Yes yes, I've had problems with them in the past so it's more than an aversion, I try and tell myself it's only an envelope it can't hurt you
but... my head runs away with itself because of all the stress hassle and dealing with them, they tell you one thing then they don't do what they said.
My OH laughs at me as I always say I am allergic to brown envelope of slim white ones with blue franking as those are always doctors or hospital letters.📄📃✉📨x
I don't mind the hospital ones as I usually have instigated them with my GP 😁
Hello Sheila-Squirrel,,,,we all have the terrors when the brown envelopes arrive on the mat,,, wait till the one arrives that says phone and start you claim for pip,,,,then the worry starts all over again,,,,,well in true brit fashion,,,Keep Calm,,,Have A Cuppa,,,then open the brown envelope,,,,just as you say,,,ttfn from karen.
Sympathies on that feeling. I recall or think I do, that Local Authoritieschanged their colour envelopes to white from brown years ago. This was due to pressure from concerned groups who were getting clients say the same as you have.
So many people being stressed by great anxiety over the colour of an envelope that seemed to bring "possible" bad news
The relief when it didn't or deeper anxiety if it did.
They mostly contain OK news and I think that's what we should concentrate on and try to be cheerful and stoic or bravely light-hearted when opening Best open first then make tea. That way you're processing the info while you sip or smiling when it's OK news.
Easy to say I know hope this helps a little
I actually open them as fast as I can. I think I'd stress too much waiting around and wondering what it could be. Gentle hugs to you xx
Sheila-Squirrel in reply to
I'd like to be able to open them fast but my legs don't work fast enough for me to go get them and my hands don't work well enough some days to be able to open them without difficulties. I'd love to do the rip it off quick sticking plaster thing. Ironic isn't it that contained within is usually about your condition but your condition slows you down to be able to read it. Note to self..... laugh about that next time I get a brown envelope 😁
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