Updated on 1/11/2022For most people, shopping is part of daily life. Not only does it help us meet our basic needs, but it also lets us treat ourselves now and again. Sometimes it feels like a chore that just needs to get done, but other times it can be a positive, pleasurable experience that helps to relieve stress in our life.Many of us can relate to buying something nice for ourselves after a stressful day at work or an emotional conflict with a loved one. In these situations, retail therapy is used to cope with life stressors.
Updated on 1/11/2022
For most people, shopping is part of daily life. Not only does it help us meet our basic needs, but it also lets us treat ourselves now and again. Sometimes it feels like a chore that just needs to get done, but other times it can be a positive, pleasurable experience that helps to relieve stress in our life.
Many of us can relate to buying something nice for ourselves after a stressful day at work or an emotional conflict with a loved one. In these situations, retail therapy is used to cope with life stressors.
What Is Retail Therapy?
“Retail therapy is a way for people to decompress and distract themselves from the stressors within daily life. Purchasing something we want gives us a boost of happiness. It feels like a treat and can be one way to indulge in self-care when done in a healthy manner. “
The Pennsylvania State study showed that shopping can be a lasting mood lifter. Givenmostpeople were found to stay within their budget, overall retail therapy can have a positive effect on mood, which is what keeps us coming back.
Why Does Shopping Feel Good?
Shopping can feel satisfying because it gives us a distraction from daily life. Shopping allows us to focus on one specific thing, a tunnel vision that makes us feel in control while other aspects of life may not be. Impulsive shopping and spending money is a coping mechanism many people use to feel better.
“Retail therapy provides a detour, far away from everything else that might be creating additional hurdles for us.”
Talkspace therapist Dr. Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC.
Shopping can feel empowering, which is what we need when life feels out of control. If your work life is stressful, it can make sense to use your hard-earned money to treat yourself. If there is a stressful relationship in your life, buying something new that will self-soothe makes you feel better in the moment and even long after the purchase is made.
Is it Unhealthy to Use Retail Therapy as a Coping Mechanism?Given the fact that shopping can be a mood booster and make us feel good, it’s understandable that retail therapy has become a coping skill for so many of us to de-stress. There can certainly be a twinge of guilt experienced after making an impulsive purchase, but is it inherently unhealthy?”Retail therapy isn’t necessarily bad. When practiced intermittently and in moderation, retail therapy can be a healthy outlet.”Talkspace therapist Dr. Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC.When stress arises, it makes sense that we naturally gravitate towards behaviors that can distract us from uncomfortable emotions. If a little retail therapy is used as a coping mechanism or as a way to regain personal control, and only in moderation, then it can be a positive source of comfort in trying times. If it helps you to move on, then the retail therapy has served its purpose and is not a detriment to your mental health.“To me, stress is the result of several different categories not going according to plan. It’s what happens when the world feels rather out of our control and we are unable to manage it. That’s when we reach for something, anything, that gives us a false sense of personal control.”Talkspace therapist Dr. Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC.Dr. Rice says retail therapy becomes a deeper problem “when we switch from a random desire to more of a need. Starting to get side effects [is] the point at which it has gone too far.” For retail therapy, these adverse side effects can be a constant need for compulsive shopping, the inability to pay regular bills, a loss of relationships, and spending more money than you have. Retail therapy can be a source of relaxation in the moment, but if there is a constant need to shop, with negative long-term side-effects, then it has reached the point of being unhealthy.The shopping-and-stress paradoxOnce retail therapy is something you feel like you can’t do without , that’s when the coping mechanism can take over and add more stress than relief to your life. This creates a shopping-and-stress paradox, where shopping is used to deal with stressors but then ends up adding more stress because of the problems it brings.When spending gets out of control, retail therapy is doing more harm than good in your life. There are ways that you can limit your use of retail therapy, so you don’t become a casualty of the shopping-and-stress paradox.“Finding the right balance between spending and decompressing is important, as it can ‘snowball’ into unhealthy territory. Learning to be mindful of your spending, and looking for other ways to reduce stress is important in keeping this balance.”Talkspace therapistMinkyung Chung, MS, LMHC
Is it Unhealthy to Use Retail Therapy as a Coping Mechanism?
Given the fact that shopping can be a mood booster and make us feel good, it’s understandable that retail therapy has become a coping skill for so many of us to de-stress. There can certainly be a twinge of guilt experienced after making an impulsive purchase, but is it inherently unhealthy?
”Retail therapy isn’t necessarily bad. When practiced intermittently and in moderation, retail therapy can be a healthy outlet.”
When stress arises, it makes sense that we naturally gravitate towards behaviors that can distract us from uncomfortable emotions. If a little retail therapy is used as a coping mechanism or as a way to regain personal control, and only in moderation, then it can be a positive source of comfort in trying times. If it helps you to move on, then the retail therapy has served its purpose and is not a detriment to your mental health.
“To me, stress is the result of several different categories not going according to plan. It’s what happens when the world feels rather out of our control and we are unable to manage it. That’s when we reach for something, anything, that gives us a false sense of personal control.”
Dr. Rice says retail therapy becomes a deeper problem “when we switch from a random desire to more of a need. Starting to get side effects [is] the point at which it has gone too far.” For retail therapy, these adverse side effects can be a constant need for compulsive shopping, the inability to pay regular bills, a loss of relationships, and spending more money than you have. Retail therapy can be a source of relaxation in the moment, but if there is a constant need to shop, with negative long-term side-effects, then it has reached the point of being unhealthy.
The shopping-and-stress paradox
Once retail therapy is something you feel like you can’t do without , that’s when the coping mechanism can take over and add more stress than relief to your life. This creates a shopping-and-stress paradox, where shopping is used to deal with stressors but then ends up adding more stress because of the problems it brings.
When spending gets out of control, retail therapy is doing more harm than good in your life. There are ways that you can limit your use of retail therapy, so you don’t become a casualty of the shopping-and-stress paradox.
“Finding the right balance between spending and decompressing is important, as it can ‘snowball’ into unhealthy territory. Learning to be mindful of your spending, and looking for other ways to reduce stress is important in keeping this balance.”
Talkspace therapistMinkyung Chung, MS, LMHC
Alternatives to Engaging in Retail Therapy
If you feel like you’re using retail therapy too much in your life, there are many healthier alternatives to consider. Dr. Rice says that there are “both healthy and unhealthy outlets when we are coping with aversive triggers. While retail therapy has healthy potential, I’m not sure I would label it as a purely healthy outlet.”
Dr. Rice recommends these alternatives for when you’re looking to curb your retail therapy habits:
These are all great ways to improve your mood that can be even better than engaging in retail therapy. While retail therapy is sometimes just what you need, these options will likely be a better way to take care of your mental health overall.
Strategies for Limiting Retail Therapy
If these alternatives still don’t do it for you, there are also ways to limit how much you are engaging in retail therapy, while still giving you room to treat yourself.
While retail therapy in moderation is not an inherently unhealthy behavior, these strategies can help if it becomes more prevalent or begins to take over your life. Try these different suggestions and see what works best for you.
How Is Retail Therapy Different From a Shopping Addiction?
Retail therapy and shopping addiction can sometimes be used interchangeably in everyday conversations, but psychologists differentiate the two. Ashopping addiction, known as compulsive buying disorder, is more extreme than casually participating in retail therapy from time to time.
What To Do If Retail Therapy Becomes a Shopping Addiction
So you try alternatives to distract yourself or limit your use of retail therapy, but it’s not working. You feel out of control about your compulsive need to shop. Reading this article and researching options is a great first step. Finding a professional to help is the next step. A therapist can help you recognize dysfunctional patterns and the deeper reasons you are using these behaviors.
Shopping will only provide temporary stress relief, it’s not a substitute for individual therapy. When thinking about working through deeper issues, Dr. Rice says “retail therapy is the tip of the iceberg, the part that we can see…If we address the root, the void, attack the hurdle head on, we have a much less likely probability of needing to fill in the gaps in dysfunctional ways.” Therapy can help address these gaps and help you approach them with healthier coping skills so you don’t need to rely on shopping anymore.
Sources:Atalay AS, Meloy MG. Retail therapy: A strategic effort to improve mood: Retail Therapy.Psychol Mark. 2011;28(6):638-659. doi:10.1002/mar.20404Rick SI, Pereira B, Burson KA. The benefits of retail therapy: Making purchase decisions reduces residual sadness.J Consum Psychol. 2014;24(3):373-380. doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2013.12.004
Sources:
Atalay AS, Meloy MG. Retail therapy: A strategic effort to improve mood: Retail Therapy.Psychol Mark. 2011;28(6):638-659. doi:10.1002/mar.20404
Rick SI, Pereira B, Burson KA. The benefits of retail therapy: Making purchase decisions reduces residual sadness.J Consum Psychol. 2014;24(3):373-380. doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2013.12.004
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