When I was younger, I would get depressed and then I would go shopping. Shopping made me feel better. It usually started innocently enough but would soon make a bad financial situation worse. Oh, did I mention I was usually depressed about money.
It is a vicious cycle. Get broke, get depressed, spend money, feel better, be broker, and then get more depressed. It is a lot like dieting. You eat for comfort and then you gain weight. When you realize it, you go on a diet, lose a few pounds and then get depressed about something and the cycle starts all over again.
I suppose I am thinking about this because our experience with court has left us literally penniless. It took every penny that I had in the house plus calling in some money owed plus borrowing about $500 to keep R from being locked up. It feels like legal extortion.
The good news is that there is no money to spend. No credit cards to make new debt and so I am just sitting here reflecting on the things I would like to do. It’s less expensive than going on a shopping spree but not as comforting.
I believe that most of us need to find things to comfort us that are less destructive than incurring debt and eating ourselves into oblivion. I am right there with the rest of the majority of Americans and these are my two worst habits. I suppose it could be worse, I could find comfort in alcohol or drugs. Thankfully, neither of those are my cross to bear.
One of the things that I find the most helpful at times like these is finding things in my life to be grateful. There are so many things: my health, R, my children and small things such as watching the birds on the feeder outside my window. It doesn’t put money in the bank but it keeps me grounded in reality. These are things that are the most important and that make me feel better.
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I agree. Life is going to throw some crazy obstacles at you sometimes but through it all, you’ve gotta stay grounded and appreciate what you still do have.
I agree that shopping or eating when depressed are quite counter productive activities. Unless you’re rich or have great metabolism, you’ll be regretting those actions later. Luckily I really dislike shopping. So I probably won’t face something like this.