Which woman in her right mind hasn’t sighed while watching ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic?’ After all there is something about being able to buy all those beautiful stuff (which may or may not be on the ‘best deals’ section) that seems to make them grow weak in the knees. And now when shopping has turned into a matter of just touching the right buttons on your smart phones and getting it all delivered right at your doorstep, the craze has just got crazier.
Archana Verma, mother of a four year old says, “There is a sale practically every day online. And when don’t you need stuff? There is always something that is just perfect for your home décor, just the right shade of lipcolour or your favourite lotion on discount. I usually end up buying stuff practically everyday.”
Dipna Kripalani, an entrepreneur and a self confessed shopaholic has recently made a closet especially for her 120 pairs of shoes. “I just can’t control this urge of buying shoes or bags. They are my biggest weakness. I don’t need a reason to shop, I may shop because I feel sad or I feel happy or simply because I am there in a mall. I can’t explain the joy I feel when I pick up new stuff or when I enter a store. I love the smell and feel of new things and that is another reason I am not much of an online shopper.”
According to Dr Nimrat Singh, clinical psychologist and human behavior scientist who has seen many youngsters with this, “There are some glaring signs of one being a shopaholic. You are a shopaholic incase you overspend; shop compulsively when you are angry, depressed or anxious; deny that you have a problem and have guilt attached to shopping.”
Here’s how you can deal with the problem:-
Cognitive behavioral therapy: A type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients to understand thoughts and feelings that influence their behaviour.
Financial counseling: Counseling for them to understand the increasing financial problem that may have risen due to them being shopaholic.
Self help books: Certain self help books like To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop can help people to understand the problem and give them ways to deal with it.
Technically called Omniomania, shopping addiction is characterised by uncontrolled desire to shop and purchase items irrespective of the fact that one may need it or not. Surprisingly this ailment dates back to as early as the 19th century.
BDST: 1355 HRS, Sep-01, 2013
SIS/BSK
