Kerstin
Kerstin Forsythe Hahn: I am 31 and live in the Saint Paul, MN. I am addicted to shopping. I shop to make myself feel better, to forget my other stressors, to not feel happy about my body. If I lose weight, gain weight, a shopping trip is the reward. I love the visualness of shopping, the colors, the creativity of putting outfits together, but enough is enough. My shopping addiction really started when I was studying for the bar exam after completing law school. After studying for 8-10 hours straight I would go to the mall to be with other "normal" people, I was not sitting but walking, and it was just about the most nonacademic activity I could do with my brain. Fast forward 5 years and I still use shopping as a great stress relief or pick me up. For the past 3 years my husband and I have been struggling with heart wrenching infertility issues and my shopping addiction has taken on a new level as I used stores and shopping to escape from the pain, depression, and isolation I have felt while struggling with infertility. Enough is enough. My husband I worked very hard to pay off our credit cards a couple years ago, and I have completely reversed that success. It makes me feel awful. Racking up debt due to shopping only delivers a short term high, followed by a lot of guilt and stress. My goal is to start making headway on this debt, to relieve myself of the association of shopping with avoiding the realities of our life, and to find new ways to connect with myself and enjoy my life. Staying out of stores, focusing on making myself physically and mentally healthier is going to be fantastic
Posts by Kerstin
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