6 tips on how to get rid of shopaholism

If you easily react to attractive (at first glance) discounts in stores and are ready to spend the last money on unnecessary things, then you should analyze your desires and understand the reasons for such impulsive purchases.

Fun fact: Online shopping has become so easy and affordable that the number of shopaholics has grown exponentially over the past five years. If in 2016 only 1.7% of the world’s population could be called shopaholics, then in 2022 it is already 5% (every 20^th person!).

In this article, experts will talk about six basic steps that will help you understand how to overcome being a shopaholic. Read and memorize!

Find the main trigger 

Agree that the desire to shop does not accompany a shopaholic every minute. For example, while sleeping, exercising, or reading a book, the brain is distracted and does not bother with intrusive thoughts at all.

If you want to understand how to get rid of shopaholism, first of all, find out what exactly pushes you to satisfy the passion. For example, after a fit of anger, in a fit of irritation, after an unsuccessful and exhausting day at work. Keep a journal and record your emotional state every time you break down — it`ll help to objectively assess the problem.

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Explore a psychological need that is satisfied by the purchase

How stores cheat on sales

Now it’s worth understanding exactly what you are shopping for. Maybe shopping brings moral pleasure? Maybe this process distracts from loneliness and burnout? Or is it just a way to abstract from obsessive thoughts? Think carefully about the answer and figure out what motivates you to make a purchase.

Find a support

All of the above questions need to be answered honestly. If you can’t manage on your own, ask a family member or friend to be your therapist. Let the reliable person talk to you about all the important questions regarding the reasons for the desire to shop and the purpose for which you do it, and then analyze the answers together to understand how to get over shopping addiction.

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Replace shopping with something

Once the reason is clear, then you can effectively deal with it. If the problem is that you’re bored and life doesn’t seem bright enough, just bring more new entertainment. If you’re feeling lonely, increase your time with friends or family, play team sports, find an interesting fandom and discuss your favorite characters with other fans on Twitter or Tumblr, etc.

Most cases of shopaholism are mild and can be overcome on patient’s own. However, if it was hard for you to work with the problem and you understand that it’s unlikely that you`ll be able to figure out how to get rid of a shopping addiction, it’s better to contact a psychoanalyst.

Change the info environment 

Usually, our thoughts are largely determined by the general informational space in which we find ourselves. Television, billboards, banners on the Internet — all these things influence our thoughts and can act as triggers for making purchases.

Motivate yourself

In addition, to motivate yourself, it will not be superfluous to install a special achievement application, where you can mark every day how long you lasted without impulsive purchases. Of course, this can also be done manually in a bullet journal, but it is not as convenient as in the app.Also, be sure to find thematic podcasts or videos on YouTube, where people talk about their experiences of how to stop compulsive shopping disorder, and experts share effective tips. Working on yourself is hard and multi-stage work, but believe in yourself and you will obviously succeed!