“Surely, consumers argue, tanning salons wouldn’t be allowed if they were harmful – would they?” This is an example of social validation that Margaret Heffernan covers in her book Willful Blindness. Even though both The U.S Department of Health and Human Service, plus the International Agency for Research on Cancer both state that tanning beds have… Continue reading Willful Money Blindness & Social Pressures
Category: Mastering Your Emotions
On Compulsive Buying: And Then There are the Holidays
We’ve been fortunate that Kathleen Gemmell, an eclectic author and former compulsive buyer offered us a guest post about her own recovery journey which began four years ago, when her son, who could no longer sit by and watch his mother buy herself into oblivion, arranged for an “intervention.” Kathleen Gemmell loves playing with written… Continue reading On Compulsive Buying: And Then There are the Holidays
Is online shopping the next danger zone for compulsive buyers?
It might be easier to kick our shopping addictions if the temptations existed only outside our of homes, but with the growing popularity of online shopping, we’re not even safe there. Though there are several papers that focus on compulsive shopping, not as many have factored into their research the impact of online shopping. However,… Continue reading Is online shopping the next danger zone for compulsive buyers?
Compulsive Hoarding and Shopping
It seems like hoarding is getting a lot of media attention recently, with shows like TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive and the Hoarders shows on A&E. While popular television tends to sensationalize, the amount of air-time dedicated to this serious problem has the potential for positive outcomes. As blogger Kristin Bell suggests, these shows might alert… Continue reading Compulsive Hoarding and Shopping
Money Can’t Buy Happiness
With a shopping addiction comes an idea that each purchase will improve one’s happiness, creating an artificial “high” that an addict thinks will last. This is not the case, and although happiness spikes before a purchase it ultimately returns to a baseline level afterward. People known as “high-materialist” consumers have (often unreasonably) high expectations about… Continue reading Money Can’t Buy Happiness
When Shopping After Weight Loss Is More
Success in a journey towards weight loss is an incredible feeling. After losing weight, many individuals are eager to head to the stores and begin buying smaller-sized clothes for their new and slimmer life. But for those who once had an addiction to food, they might find a new addiction in shopping for their new… Continue reading When Shopping After Weight Loss Is More
Breaking Your Shopping Addiction
If you find yourself using shopping and spending as a way to deal with deeper emotional issues while feeling like you are spiraling out of control, it is time to seek help. Shopping addiction is a very real disorder with a massive impact on more than just your wallet. Furthermore, dealing with those deep-seated issues… Continue reading Breaking Your Shopping Addiction
The Little Trick to Make Any Moment Better
When trying to accomplish a task or a goal, built up physical and mental tension can hold you back. Even if you’re just trying to enjoy lunch with friends or a phone call with a family member, you cannot be fully in that moment while you have tension holding you back. Be aware of how… Continue reading The Little Trick to Make Any Moment Better
Get In Touch With Your Spending Emotions
In today’s economy, people are actively gaining awareness of their spending habits. People who once spent money without worry are keeping track of their expenses as well as their feelings when making financial decisions. In studies regarding people’s emotions, when spending their money, there are two ends of the emotional spectrum. On one end, there… Continue reading Get In Touch With Your Spending Emotions
Activities to Reduce Your Need to Shop: A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste (Part II)
In my last posting, I introduced the idea that the current downturn might just be a tipping point for overshoppers, that its economic pressure might shake them out of denial and drive them to begin stopping overshopping. That they do so is essential, because compulsive buying is a square peg for a round hole, an… Continue reading Activities to Reduce Your Need to Shop: A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste (Part II)