Oniomania is actually a term that explains compulsive shopping or better known as shopping addiction is perhaps the most socially acceptable addiction. This is because we are surrounded by advertising that tells us that buying will make us happy all the time. Shopping addiction is described as the compulsion to spend money, regardless of need or financial means. While many people enjoy shopping as a treat or as a recreational activity, compulsive shopping is indeed a mental health disorder and also can cause severe consequences.
Usually beginning in one’s late teens and early adulthood, shopping addiction often co-occurs with other disorders, including mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders, other impulse control disorders, and personality disorders. Some people develop shopping addiction as a way to try and boost their self-esteem although it does not tend to be very effective for this. Worry not because there are actually some effective ways that can be done to stop this from keep happening. These are 5 tips to overcome shopping addiction.
Picture: Mint Nation
1) Track Your Money
Most people do not keep track on a day-to-day basis of their spending and often lose track of how much they are buying, spending, and also whether or not they actually need it. As an idea, you may want to start tracking every single money you spend. You will be able to notice your spending habits and patterns and where you fall short, what you are spending most of your money on, and how you can save. When you are able to visualize your spending patterns, you can act on them.
2) Set Goals
You could also try setting yourself some financial goals. By setting goals, cutting back on spending money will seem easier as you will have a reason to save. The goal here is to create a clear path between saving money and getting to do the things you love as well. Implementing this habit will also keep you focused on something other than your addiction, naturally helping to lessen the urge to buy things. Win, win.
3) Unsubscribe And Unfollow
One of the best ways to keep yourself from spending is to avoid situations that tempt you to spend in the first place. A lot of us, spend hours a day on digital devices and therefore are subscribed to many store emails offering us deals and discounts. So, if your weakness is online shopping, the first step would be to start unsubscribing from these emails and blocking these sites. By unsubscribing from all retailer emails, you will avoid the urge to impulse spend and temptation will become a thing of the past.
4) Cash Not Credit
Credit cards often fuel our ‘addiction’ as it seems unrealistic and we make excuses that we’ll work out a way to pay for our goods and make it work until the end of the month. If you are a shopping addict, you’ll be better off without credit cards, well at least until you’ve learned better spending habits. Once you have cut up your cards and totally got rid of them, start carrying cash only. It’s inconvenient and that’s the point. If you’re addicted to shopping, the goal is to break the habit, and to do this, you need to make sacrifices. Using cash only and spending cash is a great way to constantly remind yourself that you’re spending real money. Additionally, you could also withdraw a certain amount each week and spend only that amount to make sure you are aware of how much you’re spending and when.
5) Change Your Environment
Our environment plays a huge role in our lives. Whether it is our friends, co-workers, workplace, or where we live because the environment can influence our behavior. And even though we can’t always choose our ideal environment, we do have the power to control some aspects of our surroundings. For example, if you have a shopping addiction, it does not make sense for you to browse the mall or browse fashion sites online if you are trying to kick the habit so you need to make sure you don’t put yourself in places that make it difficult.
Sources: BlockSite.
