If you are saddled with debt, for example, you can easily feel stressed, self-doubting, insecure (both financially and emotionally), strained in your relationships, and limited in future plans. — Nicole S. Urdang, MS, NCC, DHM
For a marriage to be successful, the financial aspect of the relationship should also be handled well, and most often than not, a woman with an exceptional judgment in managing the family’s finances is the key. According to The Telegraph, a study finds that women are better at handling money matters than men. Hence they say, behind a successful man is a woman.
Therapists say that happy people are successful people. Your happiness doesn’t have to depend on your progress. You can be happy and successful, at the same time.
A lot of people aspire to be successful. From a young age, it is usually instilled in the minds of many children to succeed as their goal. For some, this may mean becoming a doctor, lawyer, making art, or traveling. Success is defined in many different ways by many different people. However, there may be a problem with these goals. Dreaming big creates the notion that success has to be something grand and big. Many will say that when they will become happy when they become successful, which is not entirely wrong, albeit a little bit unrealistic. However, people tend to forget that becoming comfortable leads to success, too.
Source: pixabay.com
To achieve a state of success and happiness, you must understand, you do not complete it overnight. Being happy and prosperous is not one grand goal that you must work hard to achieve. It is a lifestyle. It lies in the details. It relies on how you live your everyday life. It depends on how you perceive each moment in your life. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy right now if you want to. It is a fact that we all have to live by. Here are ten everyday actions you can practice to be happy and successful simultaneously:
Practice Gratitude
Do not just be thankful for the grand gifts. Be grateful for waking up to a new day. Don’t forget to thank the barista who made your coffee today. Smile at the little kid who offered you a piece of his candy. Nothing will have worth if you are not grateful. When you ‘don’t feel thankful for the things around you, you will never be satisfied.
Essentially, knowing one’s financial situation goes hand-in-hand with making good financial decisions and having peace of mind about money. — Utpal Dholakia Ph.D.
Live In The Moment
Do not always focus on the next big thing. Start to cherish every moment you are in. Focus on the now. You do not have to worry or fret about your past of the future constantly. Doing so will only make you restless. So, live in the moment. You are here now, and you can control your happiness. When it rains, let it rain.
Take Time Off
Learn that rest is essential. You don’t always have to be in grand moments. Learn to appreciate yourself more by taking time off for some “me time.” Taking time off will help refresh and rejuvenate you for the things to come
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Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Widen your perspective by trying out new things. The risk will always be there. Help yourself by challenging yourself with new ideas. Stepping out of your comfort zone will not only aid your brain to learn something new, but it will also expand your horizon.
Interestingly, one’s relationship with money often mirrors one’s relationship with oneself, as changes in either affect the other. So, if you decide to do some financial house cleaning, you will reap rewards in increased self-confidence, self-respect, and self-compassion. — Nicole S. Urdang, MS, NCC, DHM
Believe In Yourself
The first person who will believe in you will always be you. If you do not believe in yourself, how will others do? Not understanding and trusting yourself can lead you to have lower self-esteem. Low self-confidence can significantly hinder your success and happiness.
Take Good Care Of Your Health
Stay healthy every day. You can opt to skip the sweet dessert or have water instead of soda. Get complete sleep every single day. These little every day habits can significantly contribute to a healthier you.
Connect With People
Be with people you love and care about. They are the people who will be happy to celebrate with you with your successes. They are the people you are joyous with. Surrounding yourself with non-toxic people leads to a happier life.
Source: flickr.com
Never Stop Learning
Do not think that you have had enough in your life. Instead, opt to improve every day. You can learn how to cook a new dish. Try out your skills in the piano. Figure out if you have a green hand. There are many things out there you can enrich your life with.
They see money as a corrupting, view wealth as a product of greed, and/or see themselves as undeserving of financial success. As a result, money-avoidant types are often more generous with their resources yet make terrible financial planners. — Suzanne Burger, Psy.D.
Showcase Compassion
Do something good each day for somebody. Hold the door open for the lady in the cafe. Help a mother of three carry her grocery bags. Doing these little things can make you feel good. These things can help brighten up your day.
Do What You Want
Follow what your heart desires. Doing the opposite will make you feel pressured. Not doing what you love will only make you feel miserable. Discover what you want and make it your direction. Make this the reason you wake up in the morning.
As long as you have the proper mindset, you can always be happy and successful. It may not be easy as we face a lot of difficulty everyday, but if you put your mind and body into, you will be able to get it. Because once again, happiness is a choice.
If your current goal in life is to find Pinterest success, we can tell you now that you do not have to study the psychology of your target market to achieve that. That will merely consume your time and prevent you from increasing your followers on the platform immediately.
Driving Traffic With Pinterest
If there is traffic that most people welcome with open arms, it is the kind that comes online and increases the fame (and sometimes financial gains) that the web user gets. Though any action that results in this seems to require a very complex mathematical and scientific formulation for the novices, the experts have simple words to share. Here are the four ways to drive traffic with Pinterest.
1. Be Punctual
The viewers need not see an actual calendar where your posting schedule shows, but if you have been on the platform for a while, you should make posts regularly. In case the original plan is to do it three times every day, that is fine. If you can do more than that, it will be more amazing. Just stick to a sound timetable so that your fate in the digital world will get better.
2. Be Descriptive
There is a catch in this tip since you have to be precise in your descriptions too. For instance, instead of saying, “You can buy…” it is easier to write: “Buy…” The latter effectively becomes a call-to-action (CTA) word that brings the audience straight to what you wish for them to do rather than using several words that are not necessary for the context. You may also think of SEO keywords when describing a bio or a picture.
Source: pxhere.com
3. Be Photographic
Since ‘picture’ has already been said, you should remember to publish ones with the highest quality. As a consumer yourself, you probably categorize the photos seen online as good, better, and best and only go back to the last-mentioned. Well, other people also do that; that’s why it is vital for you to ensure that the best comes from your profile.
4. Be Cordial
If you believe that you can succeed virtually without others’ help, you are wrong. Especially on Pinterest, you need the boost that Groups offer. Post your Pins in relevant Group Boards, and traffic will soon pour to your website.
How To Make Top Pins
Regardless of how pumped you are about the idea of using social media, specifically Pinterest, to reach out to more potential consumers and generate better profits, the success that you may potentially receive still relies on your capability to post clickbait Pins. In case you still have a novice badge when it comes to creating top Pins, allow us to extend the right tips to do this.
Source: pexels.com
1. Publish The Eye Candies
When you try to place yourself in the shoes of the regular viewers while looking at the picture you plan on posting, but you feel like seeing something else, that is a clear sign that it is not interesting enough to be posted on your account. Thus, find the most eye-catching images in your gallery and turn them into Pins.
2. Keep Them Vertical
The audience tends to dislike it when they have to rotate their device to see a photo in landscape layout. Some prefer to move on to the next image without even seeing the first one, which is a bummer for the account holder since, of course, you want every post to be seen. To avoid this from happening, you have to make sure all your pictures are in an upright position.
3. Add Keywords And CTAs
Great, well-placed keywords can push you higher in the Google searches, while call-to-action (CTA) words encourage the viewers to visit your website, like and share the photo, or avail your merchandise. The CTAs are quite easy to understand, but if you are unsure of what keywords to use for the Pins, check out the SEO tools and analyzers online.
Source: flickr.com
4. Use Light Words For Description
Each description should be lively and encouraging so that it does not diminish the people’s appreciation for the images you post. Your writing style should also match the kind of products or services that you promote. Nevertheless, the safest decision is to opt for casual or conversational words to prevent sounding too gimmicky.
Final Thoughts
Finding Pinterest success may not be too easy, considering: a) there are not a lot of tutorials on how to achieve it, and b) many creative people are already on the platform. Despite that, if you keep in mind every single tip given above, it won’t be long before people begin to subscribe to you, follow your suggestions, or avail your products or services.
Good luck!
In this world, there are different types of people – those who are living their lives to the fullest and those who just let the opportunities pass them by. Some people sit around all day thinking and complaining about how sad their lives have been, and people who think of life as a great gift and seize these gifts when they can. The miserable ones sometimes don’t have the energy to stand up and shower (I think these are the people who need therapy to wake themselves up!), and they later realize how much they’re missing out.
Similarly, in business, there are those that began without anything and still never did anything to change their situation, while there are people who saw a flicker of hope in that tiny spark and made the most out of that tiny spark – now they’re shining so bright like they’ve never expected.
How To Be Successful
Success is not just a great idea. It is a state of mind. Success may be dependent on the output of an individual, but the universal key to attaining it is how you live your life and how you seize the opportunities that you get. In life or business, one should not set anything side. Instead, he must learn to take advantage of the positive circumstances that come his way. Below are some ways that you and I can be successful in business and life as well.
Even though studies have shown that a household income above $75,000 brings no additional increase in happiness, the American Dream lives on. Money worshippers are preoccupied with schemes for making and keeping money, believing that money gives life meaning and purpose. — Suzanne Burger, Psy.D.
Be Open-Minded. Most people don’t get to learn new things even when they get older because they prefer to stay in their comfort zones. They are content with being in the same place and doing the same things because they are afraid of committing a mistake or getting hurt or failing. However, change is constant and if we do not take risks, we will never improve and will never catch up with how the millennials tackle life’s new challenges. In fact, they’ll catch up with us in no time. We must keep an open mind if we want to learn of the fresh ideas and other ways of thinking that will lead us to succeed.
Source: commisceo-global.com
Listen To Your Instinct. One of our most reliable friends is our gut feeling. We do not have to turn it on or off when something comes up – it just does its work. It attempts to warn us when we are in danger of deciding something that won’t probably work for us. So it is best for us to trust our instinct. When we meet fellow entrepreneurs whom we feel don’t have much good influence on us, our instinct will come to play, and we must listen to it. We will never totally understand the mechanics of this gut feeling, but just think about it. When has your instinct been wrong? Probably never.
We all know people who say they never balance their checkbook, which is fine if it works for them. However, I think a balanced checkbook can mirror a greater feeling of balance in other areas of life, as it can be one more area that feels under control. — Nicole S. Urdang, MS, NCC, DHM
Embrace New Technology. In every business, there is a corresponding application or new system in technology that is introduced to further help business improve. All businessmen are encouraged to learn about these new technologies because if you don’t, you’ll be left behind, including your company. You may survive without any information on pop culture, but it will be very difficult to thrive in business without knowledge of technology.
Be Street Smart. Formal education is important, but it is not the only thing you need to succeed in life and business. The books help you comprehend the technical terms and practical methods to practice, but experience and street smartness allow you to weigh the real pros and cons and to use your instinct in situations that come your way. You learn the realities through experience and not through the books. What you don’t learn from the books, you learn by reading people’s behaviors, their body language, and the way they deal with others. That you don’t often gather from the books, you had read when you were in school.
In our research, we found that a higher degree of self-awareness about one’s finances translates into feedback about past successes and failures with money, lower uncertainty about the strengths and weaknesses of the current finances, and clarity regarding how to move forward. — Utpal Dholakia Ph.D.
Source: yokota.af.mil
Be Grateful And Share Your Blessings When You Can. The bigger your success, the bigger your responsibility to share what you have. You worked hard to be where you are now, but never forget those who have helped you along the way – and even those who didn’t. Remember your mentors and thank them for their contribution. Shower your family with gifts of money (or toys for kids), security, and of course your time. Give to the underprivileged. Not everyone gets to have what you have in life and business. It wouldn’t hurt to give a little of your success, right? You’ll never know how much you can change someone’s life by giving back.
When you want to become famous so bad, you might choose to move to New York or any other city and do everything, even if the stress causes you to need to see therapists. You may park yourself on the streets in hopes of getting spotted by talent scouts, for instance. In case no one has noticed you after months of doing that, you might go to various agencies and hand in your applicant yourself.
The thing is, with the growing love of people for social media channels, some folks use these sites as a platform or a stepping stone to stardom. How many influencers have you honestly seen start gaining followers through Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube and hit the mainstream media because of it? It’s not only Justin Bieber who did it – there are also the likes of Grace Helbig, Tyler Oakley, Adam Conover, and many more.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
One of the most popular websites these days is Instagram. For individuals who dedicate a good portion of their days and nights to it, what encourages them to keep on going is the number of Hearts and Shares that their followers give their post(s) regularly. These things indicate that someone pays attention to what they share, and so the users get more hooked to the platform.
In case your posts are not too appreciated by many. However, you can still try to become Instafamous by doing the following.
1. Set A Theme
The accounts which have a specific theme draw in viewers who frequently search in that niche. Since you will ideally publish images with the same subject but in different styles or poses, the audience will visit the page multiple times a day to check if you have posted anything new.
2. Post On Time
The ultimate way for your popularity to improve on Instagram is by posting on fixed hours and dates. For instance, if you wish to post some things from Sunday to Saturday, choose the best periods to put out the pictures. Though not everyone will notice your punctuality, the system can, and Instagram may bump you up in the search ranks.
Source: pxhere.com
3. Stay In Style
Even if the subject matter on your photo is as ordinary as a cup of coffee, you need to capture it in a cool angle that will make the audience analyze it for more than five seconds. There are camera filters and effects you can make use of to come up with the design you like.
4. Don’t Forget The Hashtags
Hashtags are users’ social media best friends. The account holders need to know which ones can bring them more success, and then include them in almost every post for better results.
5. Make Use Of Analytic Tools
Considering you want to become famous on Instagram to sell your products, you ought to see which images or posts are obtaining a lot of audience engagement. Although the platform already has a feature that allows you to view the page’s Insights, it won’t hurt to use the following analytic tools to know your account’s stats.
Source: pixabay.com
Squarelovin
With the use of this downloadable app, the users can view complete graphs regarding the posts they have published in a specific hour, day, week or month. Having detailed engagement reports can inform the account holders as to when they should be adding more pictures and when the audience are busier with other things.
LocoWise Instagram Analyzer
A little different from the other tools, this application allows its clients to monitor the capability of the account to gather more subscribers. When they download LocoWise, a real-time chart will appear on the person’s Instagram page. He or she can also choose to compare it to the accounts of various people who are promoting in the same niche. The app can tap into over 2,500 pages, so there will be a lot to check out.
Simply Measured
Simply Measured continues to gain the trust of many Instagram registrants, for the reason that it can analyze not only the number of people coming into your account but also the keywords that attracted the individuals the most to visit the page. The ultimate advantage of knowing this bit is that the users can incorporate the same hashtags in their future posts and attain greater results.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
SocialRank
The best feature that SocialRank can offer is its ability to assist consumers in managing and finding more followers by giving the users a complete idea of what keeps individuals engaged. With this free tool, even the new businesses on Instagram can get more subscribers in no time.
CrowdFire
CrowdFire lets Instagram users find out which subscribers unfollowed them so that they can figure out the types of images that catch their interest. Instead of feeling down because of it, the account holders can utilize the opportunity as well to post more images that are favorable to them. This way, they may get to reestablish a connection with other viewers.
Ready To Become Instafamous Now?
Integrate the things mentioned above on your plan to succeed on Instagram. Good luck!
Most of us, when we were younger, look forward to parenting as a way to make our life happier and more meaningful. However, research says otherwise. The most remarkable details that were believed to have strong proof of this fact was a study done by Daniel Kahneman, an award-winning behavioral economist who discovered that caring for children ranked at number 16 out of the 19 gratifying activities that a family can do to establish a stronger connection; proving that much more is required than just buying toys. This data also supports research done on relationships, where it stated that having children eventually decreases marital gratification.
Andrew Oswald, another economist, also did a thorough study on thousands of British couples. The study showed that the more kids one has, the satisfied and happy you become. Consequently, more and more studies have revealed that mothers are less happy compared to the fathers, that even the single parents are not happy still, that toddlers and infants are the toughest to handle, and that each next child conceived results in more negative results. Additionally, more than 50% of misunderstandings from married couples or live-in partners are related to the children.
Financial insecurity can overwhelm other aspects of the relationship. Typically, each couple has their own pattern of unresolved arguments regarding finances. — Sarah E. Clark, LMFT, LMHC, CVRT
Now, those words make us parents (dads like me, for that matter) shocked, but honestly, guilty at the same time. Because let’s face it, we do feel that the facts stated are true yet we try to push them away from our thoughts. I, for one, would like to feel happier, satisfied, and grateful for having kids. How? What do I need to do so I don’t feel the regret and exhaustion that I often feel?
Someone said, “Maybe if one puts the family’s happiness first before his own happiness, only then will he achieve a more joyful and meaningful kind of life.”
Let me ask you today – father to father – are you a happier man now that you have kids? Or are you ruminating on leaving them and their mother because you just can’t take the pressure and the unhappiness?
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
In reality, your sadness, anxiety, and depression will INCREASE should you decide to leave your family. The best way to be happier is to find better ways to make use of your blessings as a father, a husband, and a family man. Here’s how.
Work-related Things Should Be Left In The Workplace
When you’re done with work and finished all deadlines for the day, get out of the workplace and consider your remaining hours for the family. When you enter the door of your home, greet your wife with a kiss and your kids with warm hugs. Sit on the couch with them, listen to each of their stories, and tell them your day as well. You can also help your wife prepare for dinner.
Don’t Forget To Take Care Of Your Body
If moms are reminded to take care of themselves amidst all her responsibilities as a wife and mother, so should the men. Never finish the week without spending three or four days walking, jogging, or working out. Staying fit physically also keeps your mental and emotional well being at bay. You don’t have to have a strict regimen. You just need to sweat it out for at least 30 minutes, enough to produce cardiovascular benefits.
Higher-functioning couples think of their money and resources as joint assets. Whatever money comes into the family is shared, and it’s pooled into a single source. — Lynne Silva-Breen, MDiv, MA, LMFT
Read Each Of Your Family Member’s Language Of Love And Practice It
Each child has a unique way of showing and accepting love from you. Your little girl might love the cuddles, while your older boy only wishes to do some hobbies with you, so understand each of their languages. You must also know how to make your wife happy, even with the simplest things, like bringing her some flowers once in a while, or taking her to a snack so she can have a breather from all her chores. Remember the saying, “A happy wife makes a happy life.”
Plan A Major Vacation Every Year
This one has done so many good things for a lot of families. Going on a trip out of the state or just to camp out in a nearby destination if you’re on a budget would be a great time to bond, reconnect, heal, and strengthen family relationships. Taking a few days off work is probably one of the best gifts you can give to your wife and children – focusing on them and spending quality time with them (read further here: https://www.familyhype.com/children/childrens-products/toys/dolls/where-can-you-get-a-baby-doll-that-look-like-your-child.html). It doesn’t have to be expensive. It only has to be worthwhile.
Source: pixabay.com
Do Something For The Community Together As A Family
Participating in community activities is one way of teaching your children to be involved, to be assertive, and to do good for others. It is also one of the easiest ways to learn how to socialize, so you don’t have to bring them to big parties to know how to meet and greet. Volunteer to join a soup kitchen, for instance, where you and the whole family can cook and serve the seniors or the war veterans and show appreciation for what they’ve done for the country. This will instill humility for each one of the family members, including you.
With true commitment and time spent making some changes, you can absolutely improve your money management skills and protect the longevity of your relationships all at once. — Seth Meyers Psy.D.
Conclusion
Always remember that a family is a gift that should be treasured, no matter the struggles. Just thinking about it being a blessing has ultimately made me feel better as a father, a husband, and a man. Never get tired of doing your best for your family.
Success and failure are considered polar opposites, but it often takes experience with a failure or two to propel a person into successfully overcoming a challenge. — Suzanne Degges-White Ph.D.
We all have a different take on success because we have different perspectives and upbringing. Your definition of it may not be the same with someone else. For this reason, your success depends on how you see it, and it is imperative to set your mind on what it should be so that you could aim right. The first step towards success is to know what it means to you, whether you want more money, love, morals, or pride. It all depends on you.
Are you working towards fulfilling your lifelong wishes?
When you are set to make that happen, it matters to have mental stability. Depression can keep you from ever moving for ages. Anxiety cannot encourage you to overcome your fears. Mania will not help you become real. Many other disorders that affect your brain function can cause you to do regretful things and none of which is a stepping stone to realizing your dreams.
That is why mental health experts at BetterHelp want you to make sure that your mental health is stable all the time. Check out some tips on how to guarantee that.
Bottle Up Nothing
Whatever thoughts or feelings you have, we suggest that you do not wait forever before expressing all of them. It is especially necessary for emotions like hate, anger, distaste, et cetera. These are poisons in your system that will never motivate you to move forward and reach for your goals.
The most natural form of expression is talking. Say, in case you do not agree with your friend’s behavior, mention it to him or her honestly. It is up to that person whether he or she will take it as an offense or constructive criticism. As long as you are not bottling up anything, you will be great. Consider talking to someone who you are comfortable with.
It’s natural to feel a pull toward greater creative expression of your personality’s capacities. But it butts up against constraints that serve people well, via the intoxicating pursuit of money, power, and material rewards. — Douglas LaBier Ph.D.
If speaking is not your forte, well, there are other techniques to express your thoughts. You can write about it – pouring ideas from your mind to the paper can de-clutter the brain. You may also use arts – the act of painting, drawing or playing music allows you to channel your energy to be creative – not destructive – of things.
Source: pxhere.com
Have Supportive People Around
It is essential to remain surrounded by the individuals you trust and love. It ensures that no matter what slip-ups you commit in the future, they will always be there to back you up. You will never be alone even in dark moments as well, which is genuinely significant when trying to keep your mental health stable.
From your end, you should be receptive to the wonderful deeds that your loved ones are doing for you. Instead of telling them that you can handle everything, you ought to be honest if you cannot do something. Instead of pushing these people away when their only goal is to help you, welcome their assistance and thank them afterward.
We now live in a society where people feel comfortable sacrificing their mental and physical health (not to mention relationships) in order to live up to societal expectations and pressures. Many of us also value economic status above all else and let that determine our sense of self-worth. — Adi Jaffe Ph.D.
Remember that you cannot get anywhere by yourself. At some point, you have to ask for guidance from others who have walked on a similar path as yours. You can learn from their mistakes and not spend forever looking for a better road towards your dreams. Won’t this task be stress-free, though, if you surround yourself already with people who care about you?
Give Back
Lastly, you may feel more grounded than ever if you volunteer to help others without asking for any favor from them.
You can start with the people you love. Be available whenever your brother needs a babysitter for his baby that is learning to walk, for instance, or buy appliances you know your parents need without being told to do so. When it comes to friends, sometimes listening to their woes is more than enough. After that, you may branch out and participate in activities within your town or city. You can help build houses, feed the orphans, or offer donations to charities.
The more you embody a good Samaritan, the lighter yet fuller your heart may feel. There will no longer be room for negativities in your life. Then, you can start fulfilling your dreams without worries, fear, and anxiety.
To go the distance begins with daily preparation and attention to details of self-care, which I like to call little labors of loving ourselves. These little labors determine the big picture of success by creating what I think of as “the momentum of positive spirals.” — Mitchell Milch, LCSW
Source: pixabay.com
In The End
We do not imply that you only need to have the excellent mental health to realize your wishes. It is vital to be skillful, have amazing connections, and know what you truly want to achieve to make magic happen. Nevertheless, you cannot do any of those things with an unstable mind, so you should improve your mental state to prepare for everything that barrels down your path.
Spending too much may just be considered a disease! Have you ever bought something out of just the desire to purchase but in the end regretted it? Is that considered obsessive spending? Are you a practical spender or do you find yourself grabbing things off shelves like one of the thousands of obsessive shoppers in the world?
The diagnostic and statistical manual of the American Psychiatric Association reports that excessive spending and shopping are considered behavioral addictions that require help from a mental health professional. It apparently manifests in people who have negative emotions or low self-esteem. Some of them cope by engaging in compulsive buying to cover their personal distress and other impulse control disorders. They may also have more serious mental health conditions such as mood disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and substance use disorders, which require immediate psychiatric treatment.
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How serious is compulsive buying when it comes to your mental health, and is there treatment for it?
I can recount countless seasons when my mother was beside herself scrambling to get the perfect gifts for each of us in the family. She was one of the thousands of compulsive shoppers in the world. The stress to fulfill the ever-growing list of gifts oftentimes overcame the joy that is supposed to be at the root of the holidays. — Azadeh Aalai Ph.D.
We engage in shopping sprees at some point, but some Americans are suffering from what we call compulsive buying and buy unnecessary items that they don’t need – they just have the urge to compulsively shop. These people lack impulse control and start compulsively shopping from their hard-earned money and spend on irrelevant items like the ninth pair of shoes, new gadgets, and such. Some of them max out their credit cards! They do excessive shopping to satisfy their emotional needs (the negative feelings) which can only last a moment. Most compulsive buyers regret purchasing something out of impulse, resulting in the desire to do it again hoping they can buy something more fulfilling; hence, this often becomes a vicious cycle of compulsive buying that can generate a lot of financial anxiety!
Addictive disorders, such as compulsive buying disorder, are characterized by repetitive and compulsive behavior that can be difficult to control. It is a subtype of addictive disorder that refers to excessive shopping behavior that results in significant distress or impairment. Diagnosing this disorder requires a careful assessment of a person’s shopping habits and the presence of psychiatric comorbidity, as excessive shopping often co-occurs with other psychiatric conditions. For instance, someone with control disorders might also experience bipolar disorder or have other kinds of anxiety disorders. Treating compulsive buying typically involves cognitive-behavioral therapy, along with pharmacological interventions such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for individuals with significant psychiatric comorbidity.
A person with no control in shopping may experience anxiety which can cause him to feel negative emotions, like worry or fear for uncertain reasons.
According to clinical comparison research done by APA to determine the clinical characteristics of other behavioral addictions using diagnostic criteria (DSM IV), people who have alcohol dependence, sex addiction, substance abuse, and gambling disorder show significant comorbidity.
On the other hand, multiple studies express that there are no significant differences in terms of other addictive behaviors between people with low and high educational levels among the general population.
As one of many health conditions, compulsive buying can be treated with a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and group therapy, particularly for those with personality disorders and Axis II disorders. While many obsessive shoppers may engage in frequent shopping or experience manic episodes, treatment of compulsive buying can help make it a normal buying behavior and reduce its negative impact on one’s life. It’s important to seek professional treatment to effectively manage the compulsive buying disorder.
Their anxiety may result in shopping addiction in the hopes of appeasing the feeling of nervousness.
Depression And Excessive Shopping
A person may feel down and sad that he may find happiness in obsessive shopping for unnecessary items. This may give them satisfaction and temporary relief from their depression and other negative emotions.
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Obsessive purchasing may improve a person’s low self-esteem and overall mental health when he engages in spending sprees. However, it’s a short-term mental health boost. Impulse control disorder is a behavioral addiction that is considered a mental health condition, as it may result in other addictions and mental disorders like mood disorders, alcohol abuse, and even gambling addiction.
He thinks that spending money makes him feel good despite his financial problems
People who have found compulsive shopping to be an avenue of distraction use compulsive buying as an emotional regulation system. It is the thread or the glue that holds the emotional regulation system together when a person would typically “fall apart” or fragment. — Angela R. Wurtzel, MA, MFT
There is an obsession with having a new item. A person may see or hear about a must-have and doesn’t stop until he gets it resulting in obsessive buying behavior.
It is a reaction to the uncontrollable urge to purchase something. A person may not think about his action twice because he believes that purchasing a particular item will satisfy or fulfill his emotional need
Too much spending can affect us financially and also damage our health — physical and mental. It may be the reason why some of us do not have savings or cannot afford to buy the necessary things in life such as a house, car, or medical insurance. Compulsive buyers often spend the money they get thinking they’ll have another at the next payday. It will cause them to not save for more essential things.
Just like other mental health problems like eating disorders and substance addictions, excessive shopping and compulsive buying provides a certain temporary “happiness” to a person with this problem.
There is an emotional need that gets fulfilled by giving into the compulsive buying disorder.
A person might get anxious and distressed.
The calming focus of gratitude can help–at least with impulsive spending. A few seconds of thankfulness is not only a mood elevator, it’s a fast and simple mindfulness exercise that improves focus. — Kit Yarrow Ph.D.
Benefits Of Undergoing Therapy For Compulsion and Urge Buying
Therapy can provide self-awareness making you realize the root of the problem. You will then have the opportunity to confront or address the primary cause of your overspending behavior. It can be your childhood or some traumatic events in life.
Emotional Assistance Support
Compulsive buyers are emotionally distressed by their buying disorder. There is satisfaction in purchasing things without thinking twice. When you undergo therapy, you will have constant emotional support and a reminder of what you need to do to fight the impulse.
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Provides Reality Check
Therapy can make you realize the effects of compulsive buying. Are you drowning in debt? Are you not able to save because of overspending? Do you have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses? These are among the questions that you might be able to answer.
Some may realize that the answer to all these is NO!
Final Thoughts
If you can’t hold back the urge to buy things you don’t actually need, consider seeking professional help because this is one of many impulse control disorders. Overspending is a serious matter that needs attention. It hinders us from financial stability.
Finding relief, especially for youngsters who are now in their late adolescence and are having a hard time better understanding their state, can be tough.
The world of psychiatry has taken an interest in the impact of consumer culture on compulsive buying, particularly among late teens and young adults. While many people enjoy shopping as a pastime, clinical trials and reviews of excessive shopping suggest that it can lead to significant financial difficulties and even marital conflict. Treatment options such as Debtors Anonymous and promoting financial independence may help those struggling with excessive shopping.
In addition, we have to admit that money often measures success, and without it, there is a limit to the things we can do, and we may have no access to the best things in life such as excellent health care and longevity.
But we have to stop novelty seeking. Disposable income is not the answer to problems. What we need is professional help that stems from a place of compassion, patience, and healing.
FAQs
Is Compulsive Shopping A Disorder Or A Mental Health Condition?
