Self Help When You're In Debt

It's no fun being in debt.

Money shortages are always stressful and serious debt canemotionally drain you.

And yet, while you'll find lots of advice about thepractical aspects of debt management, there is preciouslittle help available for the psychological side of things.

Negative feelings like fear and anxiety need to be dealtwith before they start to overwhelm you. So here are someself-help tips on how to deal with this challenging periodin your life:

-- Count Your Blessings

It's only money.

Now that's probably the last thing you want to hear rightnow, but it's true. If your only problem in life is lack ofmoney then count yourself lucky.

Losing your money isn't like losing a loved one, or beingdiagnosed with a terminal illness,

Money problems can be solved.

-- Accept Responsibility

Your own spending behavior is at least partly responsiblefor creating the problem.

So stop blaming the credit card companies for 'pushing' thedebt drug onto you, the poor helpless victim.

You're responsible.

And that simple act of accepting responsibility will empoweryou and propel you towards right action.

-- Stop Spending

When you're digging yourself into a hole, the first thing todo is... stop digging.

Obvious?

Perhaps. But when someone realizes the sheer horror ofserious debt, it's almost a natural defense mechanism to gointo denial mode.

And one common method of denial is to continue spending andborrowing more money.

Just stop.

Rip up the credit cards. (Don't worry, you'll survive finewithout them.)

And remember that you need exactly four things in this life:food, water, (basic) clothing, and shelter. Considereverything else a luxury.

-- You Are Not Your Money

Sadly nowadays, money buys status. It's easy to believethat your value as a person depends on the value of yourbank balance.

Nonsense! You are a unique individual with many specialqualities. There will never be anyone quite like you everagain. You're wonderful! You're terrific! And yourcharacter and personality are not a product of money.

Plus.. does it really matter what other people think of you?Well that depends on what you mean by 'people'...

Quite often they are "acquaintances"... or anonymousstrangers you pass in the street who may admire your latestdesigner suit... or shop assistants happy to sell youanother expensive item of jewelry.

Are these people really important to you? Of course not.

Focus on the folks close to you who really matter. Truefriends and family don't judge you by your wealth.

-- Grab The Opportunity

Life's problems are nothing more than tremendousopportunities for personal self-growth.

Ask yourself what you are learning from being in debt. Is ita humbling experience? In which case, is it really such abad thing to discover what it means to be human?

Perhaps you are learning compassion for other humans, andbeginning to see the beauty in other, 'ordinary' people.

And if you've lost your job - a common cause of debtproblems - then look on it as an opportunity for a new startin life. What would you love to do - instead of just makingmoney?

As you may have realized, being in debt is not all bad news.

Viewed as opportunity for self-growth, it can be the turningpoint on the road to true 'riches'.