On Debt

Have you ever wondered why debt and forgiveness are often associated together? A good example is Congress’ Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act and Debt Cancellation. What does that mean…forgiveness of debt? And why is it associated with relief? 

The answer is simple. Debt is stress. It affects you physically, emotionally, and financially.  It lowers your wealth and health. A Northwestern Medicine study found that:

Those with higher debt were found to have a 1.3 percent increase (relative to the mean) in diastolic blood pressure — which is clinically significant. A two-point increase in diastolic blood pressure, for example, is associated with a 17 percent higher risk of hypertension and a 15 percent higher risk of stroke.

What does that mean? Debt stresses you out! Furthermore:

The researchers found that individuals with high compared to low debt reported higher levels of perceived stress (representing an 11.7 percent increase relative to the mean) and higher depressive symptoms (a 13.2 percent increase relative to the mean).

There is a Unity minister, Edwene Gaines, that has a little deeper insight on debt. In her book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, she says that debt is unforgiveness we carry in our subconscious. This unforgiveness can date back to our childhood, when something happened to us, that we supressed, and are unwilling to forgive. See my blog on Financial Emotion.

If you feel burdened by debt, or if you have issues around unforgiveness, you might read Edwene’s chapter on forgiveness in her book. You might seek counsel too! Talking to someone can serve as a form of confession, causing great relief, especially knowing that you’re not the only one to face these challenges. Of course, the alternative is to wait until the stress builds up to a physical condition that you MUST deal with. The choice is yours. Good luck.