Debt is an emotional issue. It can be that dark cloud that hangs over a person’s life. But this is the effect of debt. Have you ever stopped to wonder if emotional problems could be the force behind that constantly growing pile of debt?
Debt is a complicated issue. Getting rid of extra debt is like getting rid of extra weight. It’s not that easy or everyone would just do it and be done with it. There’s more going on here and your emotions could be playing a bigger role in your debt than you think.
Debt As A Symptom
If you think of the emotional issue as the root problem and debt as a symptom of that problem then this theory makes sense. This would explain why debt is so hard to get rid of when you focus exclusively on paying off that debt. It also explains how those who start to make their way out of debt or who become debt free so often find themselves right back in debt. Maybe they worked on the symptom of the problem instead of the problem itself.
Overspending As A Substitute
Buying something can make you feel good. It can make you feel good in a way similar to how alcohol or eating or gambling can make you feel good. Even in the absence of a full blown addiction, for a person whose life lacks happiness and pleasure, shopping can bring a little joy.
This joy may be an attempt to make up for a dead end job, an unsatisfying marriage, or even low self-esteem. Sometimes overspending is nothing more than an attempt to replace what you want but are not getting in another part of your life. Of course, overspending can never really fill an emotional need so you have to keep buying in a fruitless quest to feel better and to find some peace.
Purchases As A Panacea
Some people use overspending in a slightly altered, more focused fashion. They buy specific items that are meant to make them feel better. Instead of relying on the rush of buying just anything, they purchase products that are meant to improve them somehow.
One example of this would be those who spend a fortune on makeup. If a woman has low self-esteem and feels that she literally needs expensive makeup and botox to live then the debt incurred through these purchases clearly has an emotional base. Of course, this typically does not end with makeup.
Women and men may spend money on expensive clothes, haircuts, botox, plastic surgery, or cars meant to be status symbols. These pricey items and procedures, either taken on their own or in combinations, can easily overtax an individual’s finances. When someone feels the need to maintain an image then they have some emotional issues to deal with. When they feel the need to maintain this image even when they cannot afford it then the emotional problems are only compounded by financial ones.
Is debt an emotional problem? How could it not be? The emotional undercurrents that help to create, sustain, and increase debt are popular and prevalent. But identifying these emotional causes is one thing. Healing them is quite another. Still, the first step in dealing with debt that has emotional undertones is recognizing that to deal with the debt, the emotions have to be resolved too.
Tags: consolidation loans, problem, debt help, debt, low self esteem, Debt Consolidation
Related posts:
About admin