COLUMNIST and trained counsellor Fiona Caine answers another set of reader dilemmas.

I REALLY WANT TO SEE MY SON BUT HIS GIRLFRIEND’S TOO ANXIOUS

My son lives with his girlfriend in London. She’s a lovely girl but very nervous about Covid and has hardly been out of the house for the past year. I know she has asthma and so feels additionally vulnerable but, as a result, I’ve not seen my son since last June. I get on well with her, but this is seriously getting me down.

It's my birthday at the end of May so I really want to see them. I’ve had my jab and she’s had hers too. I'm very careful and I’ve told my son that if they would be prepared to come and see me, I’d be prepared to isolate myself for a couple of weeks beforehand.

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FIONA SAYS: THIS WILL EVENTUALLY PASS

I really do understand how you feel about this, but trying to push someone with anxiety issues is only going to make things worse.

Whilst you are doing all you can to reassure her - and you might think that offering to isolate yourself before she visits would be enough - you will have to let her do this in her own time. Rather than persisting with trying to persuade them to visit, why not let things lie for the time being?

This pandemic and our isolation from one another seems interminable - but it will pass.

IT’S ALL TOO MUCH

I’ve spent all this afternoon and evening crying my eyes out, as I just don’t know how I’m going to cope. My washing machine has broken, and it feels like the last straw. I have three children, one with special needs and two with bladder conditions, which means so much washing daily. I can’t even afford to replace it, as I can’t get credit anywhere.

My abusive ex-partner took out a £10,000 loan in my name, never paid it back, and I didn’t even know about it until the men in black tracked me down and tried to take my car. Now there’s a County Court order against me and I’m not trusted anywhere, despite never having faulted on any loans or debts myself.

FIONA SAYS: YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT

You’ve clearly been through, and are still going through, a very hard time. But you are getting through it. You have got yourself and your children away from someone who was abusive, and that’s a very big thing indeed.

Do contact the charity StepChange, which is there to help you cope with the kind of financial situation you face.

Email help@askfiona.net for advice.