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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : June 24, 2021 9:34 AM IST
Shopping addiction is often a coping mechanism to help mask emotional pain and real-life distress.
The addiction to shopping is real. Many might mask it under the thin veil of 'retail therapy' but there is more than meets the eye when dealing with this medically classified psychological issue. Also known as the Compulsive Buying Disorder or Oniomania, this pathological need to buy was first described clinically in the early 20th century. Where many experts are at conflict over whether to call it a real addiction, here are a few signs to know whether you are 'Rebecca Bloomwood' from 'The Confessions of a Shopaholic' and how you can kick the habit.
The current widespread consumerism encourages those who find solace in buying. Shopping addiction is often a coping mechanism to help mask emotional pain and real-life distress. Quite often, it allows the shopper the moment of instant gratification which might be making this worse for him/her. Some of the negative emotions associated with incessant shopping are:
Shopping is, by no means, a bad thing and managing your expenditures that come along is a good habit. However, if you exceed that budget or spend most of your time shopping or thinking about shopping, then we have a problem at our hands. This is known as Shopping Preoccupation.
This what shopping preoccupation looks like:
One of the biggest tell-tale signs of shopping addiction is indulging in it at the risk of one's well-being, both mental and financial. Such addictions often end in shoppers regretting their decisions. Some of the examples of such situations are:
People want to feel happy and, for shopping aficionados, retail purchase is their outlet. Those addicted to shopping try to dissipate every negative emotion via instant gratification provided by shopping and get caught in the vicious loop that can only end with intervention.
While this is a serious issue, there are measures one can take to recover from shopping addiction.
The journey from shopping addiction to freedom starts with acknowledging the problem. The person in focus needs to understand that they have a problem. This acknowledgment will smoothen the transition and the journey, less arduous.
(This article is authored by Dr Malini Saba, founder & Chairman, Saba Group & Anannke Foundation)
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