2016-06-30
Let go of your concerns for awhile. Table your problems: go for a drive, take in a movie, go shopping, or read a book. The respite is precious and you can return to the issue with a clearer, more serene perspective.
-National Association for Mental Health

From "Attention Shoppers! The Woman's Guide to Enlightenment Through Shopping" by Eve Eliot:

Eve Eliot suggests ways to make your shopping a path to personal growth. A first step is to assess why you shop. Here are 31 possible reasons.

Shop to devote time to your self

Shop to "save money" because stuff is on sale

Shop as a kind of ritual with a personal meaning

Shop to avoid gaining insight

Shop to gain insight

Shop to avoid sitting still

Shop to fit in

Shop as a distraction from building relationships

Shop to avoid writing the book, cleaning the basement or washing the floor

Shop as a way of expressing your "wild "side

Shop as a way to feel in control because every shopping decision is yours

Shop as a way to fill empty time, which might otherwise bring anxiety

Shop as a way to deny anger, grief, fear, guilt, shame or any other unwanted emotion

Shop as a way to provide stimulation when bored

Shop to have something to obsess about so you can avoid something else

Shop as a form of self-nurturing

Shop as a form of "consuming" without taking in calories

Shop to rebel

Shop to "make someone happy"

Shop to "make someone angry"

Shop as a form of temper tantrum

Shop to postpone doing the next thing

Shop to obtain a sense of centeredness in your body

Shop to avoid experiencing yourself in your body

Shop to" transform" your life with the perfect shoes or lamp

Shop to spend money in order to feel powerful

Shop to bolster the belief that beauty and perfection are, finally, attainable

Shop because you will not forgive yourself

Shop in order to forgive yourself

Shop to escape

Shop to find your self.

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