Shopping Therapy Sessions

As silly as this may sound to some people, shopping is a real addiction. Though it may not be detrimental to your body physically, it does affect you mentally and can have long-lasting effects on your bank account. I was diagnosed with the addiction some years back and I have my ups and downs. Currently I'm in my calm phase. Like most addiction support groups, current addicts usually get better through the help of past addicts. It takes one to know one.

Its no secret that DZ and I are shopping buddies. Recently our relationship has progressed into one of patient and therapist. Shes the patient and I'm the therapist. Due to patient-therapist confidentiality agreements, I wont go into details but I thought it would be helpful to point out some general things that might help all you shopaholics out there...

1. Suppression is not the answer. When you tell yourself you wont shop for this amount of days or until that happens, you are creating nothing more than a trap. Your mind becomes obsessed with the fact that you "can't" shop and yearns for the pleasures that come with shopping. You start making wish-lists of what you'll get once you're out of probation and before you know it, you can hardly sit still. I think the best thing to do is to get it out of your system in a REASONABLE manner. This way you'll get to scratch the itch and you'll prevent future set-backs.

2. Dont be greedy. A common problem with shopaholics is the fact that we "want it ALL". One pair of shoes is not enough, we need 10. One bag isn't enough, we need one in each color. Before you go out and splurge and splurge, you really need to spend some quality time with your closet. Look at what you have, what you love, and what you dont need. Most shopaholics know what they have too many of and what they need more of. Save yourself some money and skip buying the same bag in a different color and invest in something that is actually missing from your closet.

3. Class not trend. So much time, money, and anguish can be saved if you just remember to be classy and timeless instead of trendy. Passing fads are always tempting but always short-lived. Why bother hunting down the IT item if its just going to be laughable the next season? You're much better off just sticking with the classics which tend not to change much and hence will automatically be much easier to keep up with.

4. Time heals all. Yes, believe it or not, sometimes the urge to shop just goes away with time. Take some deep breaths, go read a book or pick up a hobby that'll keep your hands and mind busy. Give it a few days and you'll suddenly realize your totally over those shoes or that bag or this dress!

5. A sale is no excuse. We're all guilty of buying something just because it was on sale. So many purchases sneak their way into shopping probations because of this excuse. Next time when you find something thats going for a ridiculously good deal, ask yourself "Can I live without this?" If the answer is yes, then why bother? Yes, its on sale but it'll add up!! Save it for something that you absolutely cannot bear to live without. You're closet and wallet will thank you.

I'll post more therapy sessions as they come up. And yes, I accept Chanels, Bottegas, YSLs, and Louboutins as form of payment.