Retail therapy is one process that makes you immensely happy while you indulge in it, but might leave you disgruntled and disappointed later on. Retail therapy as we all know, is binge shopping that we indulge in, especially when we are having a meltdown. Indulging in retail therapy helps us cope with the current distress and depression pretty well but just in case we happen to indulge in unwarranted shopping time and again, it leaves us debt ridden and pushes us further into melancholy.

Before we go on to see how we can control our impulses to buy just about anything, let us see how retail therapy helps us in tiding over our bad mood issues.

  • Indulging in shopping takes our attention away from the problem: In times of grief, breakups, failure, or just about anything that leaves us in tears, we need something to cheer us up. Retail therapy offers the best answer in such circumstances. It simply distracts us from the impending matters. Thinking about a problem on a loop, does not offer any solution. Rather it only makes the condition worse by pushing us into depression. When we decide to go shopping in such times, our mind and attention is immediately diverted away from such problems.
  • It helps us you with some β€˜me’ time: Even if you have nobody to go along with, you can go on a retail therapy. Going out and buying stuff for yourself or even for others will make you happy for sure.
  • It just perks you up: When you buy the dress or an accessory you had wanted to buy for long in such a process, it just perks you up immensely. You feel good and lighter.
  • It helps you pamper yourself: It is something that you may need in bad times. With such random shopping you may end up buying stuff that you were postponing for a while now. You can buy stuff that will make you feel good and happy.

But while retail therapy gifts us with so many benefits, there is a lop side to it as well. Just to get over out of our sad mood, we may end up in buying far beyond our means. Once in a while this can be a manageable affair, but just in case it becomes as routine, you will find extreme difficulty in paying your bills and will run into debt. Other than that, this may also invite splurge buying; buying stuff that you may never use ever eventually. In that case it will be whole lot of money going down the drain.

There are of course solutions that help you tide with this problem.

  • Do not use credit card: Use debit card or cash instead. With a credit card you can be tempted to throw caution to the winds. If you are buying with a limited amount of money you will generally not go wrong.
  • Do not buy everything at one go. Keep a few items for your next binge shopping spree.
  • Look for discounted products. They will offer a better deal to you.
  • If possible buy on the web: At least you will scrutinize the products carefully before ordering rather than simply picking it off a physical shelf.