I have to confess, I was a shopaholic or rather a shopping victim. I would constantly shop and bring things in my life to feel rich as I believed that it was an act to improve my social status. I was someone who had mastered the art of buying fast fashion at the lowest price at the right place at right time. If I had continued like this, I could have easily received a diploma in online shopping by now, because I was someone who would burn the midnight oil to get the best deals on clothes, cosmetics, home decors, kitchen tools, plastic craps, and some totally meaningless stuff, because I didnโt want to miss out on the sale. The neurochemicals in my head would soothe the void in my heart instantly and give a temporary sense of happiness.
Wonderful! That is the magic pill called mindless shopping.
I could see that I had spent a lot of my 20s and 30s just buying things that I thought I needed to be a credible adult. I had accumulated so much by using shopping as retail therapy, entertainment, or sometimes a reaction to feeling happy, but with time it caused a lot of problems for me and my home became full of stuff that was beyond my control. The home instead of being a place of comfort and peace became another place of daily chores. The cluttered closet, drawers, shelves, and table surfaces were always bothering me and caused feelings of overwhelm. The cutter at home extended to become clutter in my mind. I could feel an increase in stress and disturbed focus.
But after getting introduced to decluttering methods and finding some inspiration from Marie Kondoโs KonMari Method, I was able to spot and separate the things in my space into things that brought joy and things that didnโt. Since I practiced focusing on only keeping the things that brought me value and joy, I started to become confident about my choices helping make mindful purchases. It further helped me become confident in decision making, as I could quickly decide what the things that I wanted to keep, discard or donate. The event of shopping became an opportunity to reflect on things like quality, value, sustainability, eco-friendliness than just fixing some emotions or getting the best deals.
Today, my health is most important to me and I am glad that I now have the power to make mindful purchases that are supporting my goals and growth. Mindful shopping to me doesnโt mean I need to deprive myself of things or live frugally, it is all about making meaningful choices. Choices that bring joy and not stress. The choices that donโt make me another consumer on auto-pilot, but a conscious shopper.
