Former debt addict Diane Conlinn writes about how she discovered here desire to go shopping was really an expression of emotions she wasn’t dealing with.

“Until recently I rarely was angry. Or at least I thought I wasn’t ever angry. But the truth was, I had been bombarded with, it’s bad to be angry. It’s bad too want to lash out. Generally, I was angry because something I regarded as justifiably wrong had occurred either to my loved ones or to me. I had followed all the advice of just resolving to be happy, and didn’t deal with my frustrations. One of the things that I’ve discovered is that I funneled my anger away. I funneled it so far that I didn’t realize I was angry. So, now when I get a spending impulse, or eating impulse, I look inside to see if I’m angry. Because I have to find out what I’ve pushed aside. And instead of buying that outfit, I am going to actually allow myself to feel angry, and then, do something about why I am angry. I’m going to acknowledge it in some way by either telling the person I’m angry at or by writing about it.”

Anger: not socially acceptable.
Shopping: socially acceptable!
Writing: socially acceptable AND free.

Does Dianne’s previous method of coping describe anyone you know?

Curbing that Spending Impulse [Squeaks]

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