Retail Therapy

You wake up one day and you feel something is not right. You prepare breakfast but the toaster doesn’t work. You take the kids to school and on the way there you get a flat tire. Of course you arrive late for work only to see an empty office since there was a meeting called at the conference room. It was for the announcement of your rival’s promotion. A promotion you’ve been hoping to get. Yes, indeed it is a bad day.

So what do you do when you need a little pick me up? Some reach for sweets, some go for some pampering at the spa, while others hop on over to the nearest mall to seek some retail therapy.

Retail therapy is simply shopping to feel better when you are feeling down. There is a code we women stick to, there is no problem that a new shade of lipstick can’t resolve… or in my case, a new book or magazine! Here are some retail therapy tips to make this experience for enjoyable.

• Don’t overshop. Retail therapy is more effective in lifting you up when you purchase for several inexpensive items rather than just one pricey one. The act of choosing and purchasing relaxes us and make us happy. Let’s admit it, we don’t actually need the items we buy; we just buy them to make us feel better. When you purchase overpriced, branded goodies, the bills can eventually cause more problems than solutions. Buyer’s remorse will cause stress and anxiety and that defeats the purpose of the therapy.

• Keep in touch with your feelings. Are you shopping to feel good about yourself or are you trying to escape the bad things in your life? Be careful. Masking and numbing your feeling with shopping can lead to addiction. Think drug addicts and compulsive gamblers. None of them started knowing they will end up addicted to their habit; they thought they’re only trying something for fun, until the habit got the better of them. Make sure you can still control your shopping. Can you still resist the siren calls of shops of sale? This is always a good sign.

• As much as possible, shop in cash only. Don’t use a credit card. If you can’t afford it, don’t shop. It’s that simple. Shopping is not the only thing that can make us feel better. There are other ways to feel good without breaking your bank. Talk to a friend, go for a swim, visit the local gym… it’s just a matter of finding out what suits you and your lifestyle.

Every so often, I also indulge in some retail therapy. Nothing beats the feeling of going through rows and rows of books… excitedly leafing through them, skimming through the contents to find something that piques my curiosity, until I find one that really interests me, slowly turning it over to look at the price tag and hoping it is something that will fit my budget. Once I’ve found what I want, I skip on over to the cashier. I pay for my purchases and the cashier places my babies in a paper bag…. Ahhh…I feel the stress drain from my body. I love it! This process makes me oh so happy, that is until I get home and I place my new books with my other unread books. Argh! I still have so many books to read! When will I ever find time to read them? When will I ever find time for myself?! Yes… by then I’ll be stressed again…and looking forward to that next trip to the bookstore. Hahaha!