Eating is to money as food is to debt

Today was a very, very stressful day at work. I still get a stomachache and a headache thinking about it, and I'm home now! Anyway, I had to prepare thousands and thousands of page of documents for production through the new database the firm has chosen to use. And of course, I am supposed to do this with no training. Well, since I don't like to have meltdowns at work, I internalized all of my anxiety, which led to the headache and stomachache. But all I could think about was how some chocolate chip ice cream on top of a warm fudge brownie would make me feel better. I guess you could call it self-medicating with food. I considered stopping off at the grocery store to pick up the necessary ingredients, but I didn't stop. I thought about how I have one $10 bill to last me until payday and I don't want to break it. I also decided that I really don't need the extra calories and fat. But I just kept thinking about how much better I would feel if I just got the stuff, prepared it and scoffed it down.

So what does this have to do with money and debt? I've had this same response to stress. Up until now if I was feeling a little anxiety I would take my credit card and go shopping. You know what that means...I was tightening up the debt shackles. I would feel good for the moment. Just like the brownie sundae would make me feel good for the moment. Then I would tell myself, "Oh, no problem. I'll pay it off." When I got my credit card statement I would feel more anxiety and I wouldn't pay it off.

I'm home now. No warm brownie with chocolate chip ice cream. Just a big salad with shelled edamame, a bottle of water and my $10 bill still in my pocket.