Many psychologists claim that people who shop forget about their problems for a while. Their mood lifts, they become livelier, and they look at the world differently. However, the question of whether this process is a cure or a problem remains to this day. Some doctors consider addiction to shopping to be a separate mental disorder. The advent of buying things over the Internet has grown to unprecedented proportions and brings severe difficulties to millions. Therefore, the substance I’m giving up and will address in this article is shopping. I am an impulse shopper, and it would be challenging for me to do it for 30 days.
For many people, shopping is a good friend and stress reliever; I am no exception. I love both the process and the result: buying this or that thing, I feel satisfaction and achievement of the goal, especially if it is possible to purchase something favorably, for example, with a discount. Turning in more detail to my feelings and sensations, I understand that my addictive substance brings me joy, euphoria, excitement. A special ritual is online shopping: after the acquisition is made, I anticipate receiving the package. The critical point is that for me, shopping is also a kind of therapy, a cure. This process helps me distract myself from existing problems, forget about emotional wounds, and escape negative thoughts. This habit, an addiction, contributes to immersion in another world.
At the same time, I realize that this pastime completely absorbs and cuts off the connection with the real world. In this way, it contributes to the development of a sense of defenselessness, of entrapment. In moments when I recognize that I have spent the last of my money on shopping, have “failed” in time, I may experience negative feelings, anxiety, and discomfort. I realize that this process sometimes costs me that I procrastinate doing important things or do not have time to do them at all. Thus, it is vital for me to give up this substance for 30 days and do a high-quality study of my behavior and thoughts on this subject.