6 Things That Make Shopping Addiction Worse in Women

1. Abusing Shopping as Self-Reward

Term self-rewardincreasingly popular in recent years. After working hard or completing a task, a person feels he deserves a reward. This concept is actually not wrong.

The problem arises when the gift is always an impulse purchase. Every time you feel tired, open a shopping application. Every time you feel sad, go to the store and put things in your shopping basket. Every time you get a salary, you immediately buy something that you don’t actually need. Over time, the brain begins to associate discomfort with shopping activities. As a result, shopping turns into an escape mechanism, no longer a rational decision.

Whereas, self-reward Being healthy is actually an investment in yourself. For example, using money to take English courses, make-up courses, skills training, buy quality books, or take music courses that can improve your musical abilities.

Self-respect should help us grow, not just fulfill momentary desires. New items can bring joy, but new skills can provide lifelong benefits.

2. Excessive fear of disease so that you buy excessive supplements and medicines

Health is something that should not be ignored. However, excessive worry about disease can also give rise to consumer behavior.

Some people feel they have to buy various vitamins, supplements, herbal medicines or health products every time they see advertisements or read information that is not necessarily true. In fact, the use of supplements should be based on needs and, if necessary, on the advice of health workers. Consuming various health products without clear reasons does not always provide additional benefits, and in some cases it can even pose a risk of side effects or new health problems.

In addition, health is not only determined by the products purchased. Get enough sleep. A balanced nutritious diet. Regular exercise. Correct stress management. Health checks as needed. All of these factors play a much bigger role than simply stockpiling medications or supplements at home. Getting to the root of a health problem is much more beneficial than buying products impulsively out of panic about illness.

3. Only counting shopping “fasting” days without looking for a healthier escape

Some people are proud to say that they haven’t shopped for 7 days, 2 weeks, or 1 month. Of course this is progress.

However, if you only focus on counting the days without changing your lifestyle, the risk of relapse remains high. In behavioral psychology, old habits return more easily if they are not replaced with new, healthier habits.

Therefore, reducing spending should be accompanied by substitute activities that provide positive satisfaction. For example, by participating in religious activities, learning English, learning to cook, reading books, developing a small business, becoming a volunteer, and teaching art to children in orphanages. Activities like this provide a longer-lasting sense of accomplishment than the instant pleasure after the online shopping package arrives at your door.

Eliminating old habits is important. However, building new habits is much more important.

4. All Happiness Centers on Cell Phones

Mobile phones have become an important part of modern life. Through one small device, someone can work, study, communicate and shop.

However, when the entire source of happiness comes only from the cellphone screen, the risk of consumer behavior becomes even greater. Online shopping applications, promotions, discounts and notifications are designed to attract user attention. If most of your free time is spent just scrolling through the screen, the temptation to buy things will also appear more often.

In fact, there are many other sources of happiness that do not depend on cell phones. Morning run. Do sit ups 20 times. Try making a new type of bread. Learn to play a musical instrument. Gardening. Read a book. Teaching neighbors’ children to recite the Koran. All of these activities not only reduce screen time, but also provide benefits for physical health, skills and social relationships.

The more diverse a person’s sources of happiness are, the less likely a person is to depend on shopping as a primary pastime.

5. Feel no problem because you have a rich partner

There is an opinion that excessive spending habits are not a problem if the couple has a very good economic condition. Views like this need to be examined critically.

The main problem with shopping addiction is not simply the amount of money spent. The main problem is the loss of the ability to control oneself.

Apart from that, if someone continues to use their partner’s income to fulfill their consumer desires, this relationship can develop into an unhealthy relationship.

Independence is an important part of self-esteem. A woman with dignity must be able to make wise decisions, appreciate her partner’s hard work, and not use her partner’s wealth as an excuse to live excessively.

Property can change. Economic conditions may also change. However, competence, skills and independence will remain much more valuable capital. A person’s self-esteem is not determined by the number of branded items they own, but rather by their quality as a human being.

6. Always be defensive

One sign that often appears in various forms of addictive behavior is the tendency to justify the habit. For example, saying that it is better to be addicted to shopping than addicted to porn, or to say that at least you are not a video game addict.

Such a statement is known as a false form of comparison (false comparison). The fact that there are other habits that may be more dangerous does not automatically make our habits healthy. Each behavior needs to be assessed based on its impact on life, not compared to other behaviors that are worse.

A defensive attitude actually hinders the change process because a person no longer sees problems that need to be fixed. On the contrary, the courage to admit weakness is the first step towards change.

Nobody is perfect. However, everyone has the opportunity to grow if they are willing to evaluate themselves honestly.

CLOSURE

Being Superwoman doesn’t mean never buying things. This doesn’t mean you have to live so frugally that you ignore your own needs. Being a strong woman means being able to differentiate between needs and desires, between self-respect and emotional escape, and between habits that are constructive and habits that actually hinder self-development.

Shopping should be a tool to fulfill life’s needs, not the main source of happiness. Happiness that depends solely on packages arriving at your home will quickly disappear. On the other hand, the happiness born from new knowledge, a healthier body, good social relationships, the ability to help others, and independence will last much longer.

As part of Superwoman Series #130, the message to be conveyed is simple. Build your quality, not just expand your wardrobe. Take care of the charm, not just the shopping cart.

Because a truly strong woman is not measured by the number of things she owns, but by her ability to control herself and continue to develop throughout her life.

SOURCE

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Publishing.

Black, D. W. (2007). A review of compulsive buying disorder. World Psychiatry, 6(1)14-18.

Koran, L. M., Faber, R. J., Aboujaoude, E., Large, M. D., & Serpe, R. T. (2006). Estimated prevalence of compulsive buying behavior in the United States. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(10)1806-1812.

Müller, A., Mitchell, JE, & de Zwaan, M. (2015). Compulsive buying. American Journal on Addictions, 24(2)132-137.

World Health Organization. (2020). Healthy diet. World Health Organization.

World Health Organization. (2022). Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. World Health Organization.