It is superfluous to explain how beneficial the purchase of a new thing acts on a person. And separately we want to highlight the process of choice – both in person and in the online store. After all, it is then that one feels the excitement that accompanies the comparison of different but equally attractive products, the anticipation of being able to buy what one likes, the idea of owning what one has bought. Of course, the strength of the feelings we experience also depends on our enthusiasm for this or that category of product. Some people experience real pleasure when they are looking for an addition to a rare tea set, others adore buying shoes and still others like car accessories. Not so important is the object of lust, the main thing – the emotional lift at the moment of obtaining it.
Being Together
Shopping brings us together! Sometimes it involves a whole complex of pleasant events, combining a trip to the store or mall, a visit to the cinema, and dinner at a cafe or restaurant. It can be long-awaited, especially for children, a family vacation on a day off, a pleasant walk with a man and a girl, a meeting of friends, an occasion to communicate with relatives – for example, mothers with grown-up daughters.
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Unfortunately, for some, such a pastime turns into resentment and frustration, frustration, and even serious conflicts. However, not shopping is not to blame, but human character and upbringing. By the way, you can also make the usually sad end of the event pleasant – if, for example, in advance, you put away a small part of the total amount you planned to spend, in a separate place, and then accidentally “find” it. Such a surprise will allow you to buy everyone ice cream or take a cab home instead of public transportation.
Achieving More
It would be strange to talk about shopping without mentioning money. Spending on pleasurable excesses pleases absolutely everyone, but it is this aspect of shopping that sometimes overshadows almost all of the joy it. If you understand that periodic spending to improve your mood and self-confidence (which is also one of the undoubted benefits of shopping) you really need, and funds do not really allow it, you can think about finding a better-paying job. And it’s not only about some physical purchases but also online ones, like a subscription to new online sports betting sites or game extensions.
Developing Rational Thinking
Buy yourself everything you want, and at any time can hardly afford even very wealthy people. No matter how you spin it, even if you consciously allow yourself to spend more than usual in the stores, it is better to do it wisely. For example, you can develop such a good habit: in the midst of “store excitement” – especially on sales – learn to resist the rush logically.
Therefore, despite the acute desire to buy everything you’ve chosen, first, evaluate the potential purchases on the following criteria:
- Whether you definitely need it now.
- Whether it’s possible to buy it later (sometimes this also means voluntarily canceling the purchase after the passion to buy up half of the store has subsided).
- What you lose if you put it off for a while or give it up altogether.
- What you gain by cutting back on your purchases.
You can also set limits in advance, either on the amount you spend or the number of things you buy. Or, for example, when browsing the basket in an online store, make it a rule to separate out clearly unnecessary things that got there, as they are called at the same time.
Awareness of the Need for Change in Life
Shopping can be tremendously satisfying, and it is useful to practice it from time to time. But it’s also insidious: a persistent infatuation with material goods and a sense of the meaninglessness of everything when it’s impossible to do so can seriously complicate our lives. And it’s not just the effect on the wallet, but the substitution of true meanings with a surrogate. Have you ever noticed that sometimes a desirable purchase is a kind of promise of happiness? When it seems that this exact handbag will make the image stylish and complete, and without it all is not the joy? And have you ever caught yourself literally totting up your collection of figurines, perfume bottles, cups, books, yarn or orchids? Only, despite the impressive volume of what you already have, it’s as if saturation doesn’t happen. Such a state is like trying to fill a vacuum, and it is useless. Is it possible that you are “retreating” into shopping in order to escape from an unsatisfying reality? Are you trying to compensate yourself by shopping for what is sorely lacking in your life? Is shopping a sign of personal fulfillment and a confirmation of your own worth? Or is it a remedy for boredom or a way of encouragement that you deserve? If for these or other reasons you notice that an uncontrollable desire to buy is beginning to dominate your life, it’s more than likely time to make some changes in your life as well.
