We hear the phrase “retail therapy” thrown around a lot these days. People think it’s a legitimate way to respond to depression, stress, anxiety, or really anything that’s weighing you down. But there are serious drawbacks to practicing this approach.
When you rely on consumption to fix whatever's wrong, what you’re really doing is applying a crutch; a temporary solution that doesn’t address the underlying issues.
America seems to be all about consumption. We have disposable chargers, disposable kitchenware, fast fashion clothing and perpetually-obsolete phones. We think all these gadgets, trinkets, clothes, and accessories will make us happy. We think they’ll get us to where we want to be. We think they’ll make us feel good about ourselves and they’ll allow us finally, to be happy.
Perhaps purchasing new stuff does make us happy. But the feelings fade almost immediately. We get a rush of adrenaline standing on line making that purchase, but a day or two later, that rush has completely worn away. Now we’ve moved on to focusing on something else, something new, something better.
If you joke that you practice retail therapy --- consider if there's really something behind that. Consider the feelings that make you want to shop. Discover your triggers, and at the very least, become aware of them.
Once you know what sets you off, you can work on concrete solutions that can help improve your mental state. Rather than focus on a solution that doesn’t work and hurts your wallet, put in the time and energy to address the root cause of the problem.
Productive alternatives to retail therapy:
Meditation
Exercise
Flexing your creative muscle
Professional therapy
Volunteering your time
Reading
Movies
Spending time with friends
While shopping can have temporary therapeutic benefits, it can also conceal serious issues beneath the surface. For individuals who feel they are constantly in need of retail therapy, they might need real therapy instead.
Konstantin Lukin, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in Ridgewood and Hoboken, NJ. He has extensive clinical and research experience spanning individuals of all ages, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He specializes in men’s issues, couple’s counseling, and relationship problems. His therapeutic approach focuses on providing support and practical feedback to help patients effectively address personal challenges. He integrates complementary modalities and techniques to offer a personalized approach tailored to each patient. He has been trained in cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavior, schema-focused, and emotionally focused therapy, and has also been involved with research projects throughout his career, including two National Institute of Mental Health-funded studies. He is a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New Jersey Psychological Association, Northeast Counties Association of Psychologists, New York State Psychological Association, The International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, The New York Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy, the International OCD Foundation, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACSB) and a regular contributor to Psychology Today.