Hope for Overcoming Chronic Debt

If you find yourself in a pattern of shame around the money you owe, know that there is hope for overcoming chronic debt. It starts with being willing to look honestly at ourselves and our relationship with how we use our money to act out unresolved issues.

I know first-hand what it is like to live with the crushing suffocation of living under a mountain of insurmountable debt. Creating debt is not something we do intentionally or even consciously.

It’s a subconscious pattern that points to a deeper issue. That’s why dealing our money issues is more than about money. It’s really about deeper, unresolved emotional blocks that keep us stuck.

Usually, these emotional patterns point to wounds from the past. They also reflect how we see our self-worth, inherent value, and deserve-ability.

It’s incredible how many times during a money coaching session, a pattern reveals something connected to a past traumatic or painful memory. When we as children experience emotional pain or trauma, we cannot comprehend its meaning, so we draw conclusions based on our limited life experiences. Thus, we create a limiting belief out of the experience.

More often than not, chronic debt represents unresolved shame. When we use inquiry to explore this, we can usually trace it back to a memory from an earlier time – usually childhood or teenage years – where we created a belief that we are shameful.

Check out my blog post: Healing Money Shame.

Another cause of chronic debt is emotional deprivation. We spend money and shop to fill an emotional void, a fruitless endeavor because it’s like trying to fill a bottomless pit. We may experience a temporary high and an illusion of feeling worthy or significant when we spend money.

But the feeling quickly dissipates as we realize that we are still unfulfilled and emotionally deprived. The old familiar pattern of shame creeps in. We then seek the high that comes with spending, so we repeat the behavior again and again. Until we become consciously aware, process the meaning of our emotions, and heal the source of our shame.

Just as creating debt doesn’t happen overnight, healing the unhealthy emotional patterns responsible for our debt occurs over time as we courageously keep showing up with ourselves to heal.

Healing and transforming our relationship with money, debt, and ultimately with ourselves is a process. One that is ever-deepening and unfolding, blossoming in deeply profound ways that yield life-changing benefits.

If we are willing to do the work and dig deep, we will find true hope for overcoming chronic debt.