The Holiday season is upon us! While you may eagerly anticipate the arrival of peppermint mochas, hours of Hallmark specials, and the opportunity to dig out decorations from storage, there is one thing that is weighing heavy on your mind – shopping for gifts and all of the trimmings.
To the casual observer this topic may seem inconsequential from a mental health perspective. However, shopping anxiety is a legitimate concern at this time of the year. Common stressors that induce shopping anxiety include the following:
- Time pressure to get shopping done in time for gift-giving and celebrations.
- Pressure to get gifts for loved ones and close friends that will deliver the desired reactions.
- Sensory overload (sights and sounds) from online and on-premises shopping environments.
- Concerns over mailing and shipping delays of purchases.
- Concerns about spending beyond one’s means and getting into debt.
- Fear of not meeting society’s standards of success by not being able to afford to buy what you want for others (sometimes referred to as status anxiety).
All of this may manifest as any one or more of the following signs and symptoms of shopping anxiety which mirror those of generalized anxiety disorder:
- Overwhelming anxious thoughts and feelings.
- Anger and irritability.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Restlessness and difficulty sleeping.
- Physical symptoms such as excessive sweating, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness, and aches and pains.
- More severe outcomes such as panic attacks.
On top of it all, shopping anxiety can lead a sufferer to partake in unhealthy coping mechanisms to relief negative feelings. The coping mechanisms which may include binge eating, unhealthy gambling or gaming, excessive use of pornography, and ironically compulsive shopping.
So how are you to manage shopping anxiety so that you can get the job done in a healthy manner while allowing yourself to fully enjoy all of the otherwise wondrous things that the Holidays have to offer? Below are some practical yet effective tips to making it happen.
5 Practical and Powerful Tips to Managing Shopping Anxiety this Christmas and Holiday Season
1. Balance Digital with Physical Retail Experiences
If you do most of your Holiday season shopping online, balance it out with visits to local malls and outlets. The physical exercise (albeit mild) is good for you. Physical retail is especially beneficial if there are outdoor or open-air shopping centers in your area. Research confirms that spending time outdoors (yes, even when shopping) can increase dopamine levels in the brain and subsequently improve mood and reduce stress. Further, those who have issues with compulsive online shopping, which is a digital addiction that about 15.5 million Americans struggle with, can mitigate the urge to “add to cart” more than they should by shopping with cash instead of their digital wallets. Incorporating more on-premises shopping will also help manage the worry about shipping delays that come with online options.
If you traditionally do most of your Holiday season shopping offline and find physical environments stressful (more on this below) try shopping online on trusted eCommerce sites (Amazon, Etsy, eBay, etc.) from the comforts of your home. Be sure to do so with an aforementioned peppermint mocha or tea in hand! Online shopping also makes sense for gifts that need to be mailed to loved ones in other cities and towns. Instead of having it shipped to your home and then mailed from you to them, have it shipped directly to the recipients’ addresses. It may not arrive in pretty red & green parchment, but another member of their household (where applicable) can do the wrapping on your behalf. By removing yourself as the middle-person, you avoid added stress over traditional mail delays.
2. Avoid Crowded Times of the Day
Is your shopping anxiety typically tied to shopping center and grocery store environments? If visits to these establishments are unavoidable, adjust the hours that you normally visit them. Shop in the early morning (within an hour of opening) and late in the business day (within an hour of closing) to avoid the crowds. This may require more frequent visits (given the shorter durations) and adjustments to your normal schedule through late November and December, but you’ll find peace of mind by avoiding the crowds that ascend upon retail venues during typical peak hours.
Moreover, skip Black Friday altogether. Many of the advertised deals are available before the biggest day in retail. Even better deals can be found on the following Cyber Monday, which is done exclusively online. No “Buy One Get One” door-crasher is worth the emotional, mental, and physical toll of shopping anxiety.
3. Know Your Limit and Stay Within It
Establish a detailed and realistic budget for gifts and Holiday party hosting wares in advance and stick to it. Write down and record it on your smartphone so that you can keep track of spending in real time so as to avoid unwelcome surprises when you check your account balances.
4. Confide in Loved Ones (and get Wish Lists!)
Let family members and close friends know that you struggle with stress and anxiety of Holiday season shopping. Remember, your fear that they will be disappointed by a gift is more often than not irrational. By confiding in them you will find that they don’t want you to go through so much trouble. They may also be experiencing their own stress about what to get you and others in your gift-giving circle. This clears the way for reciprocal communication that will benefit everyone.
Agree to give each other wish lists of items in varying price ranges to accommodate varying budgets. These lists should include links to the websites that show where these items are available at (physically and/or online) to make it easy on the shopper (yourself included). This is an easy task to accomplish because it harkens back to a time when we put together our wish lists to send to St. Nick at the North Pole!
5. Give Yourself the Powerful Gift of Counseling
The tips above were all quite practical. This final one, is the most effective of all in alleviating shopping anxiety.
Professional counseling can help alleviate mild feelings of anxiety and stress that millions of Americans feel at this time of the year. However, it may be exceedingly important for those whose shopping anxiety is connected to or cooccurs with mental or behavioral health issues. Issues and disorders that can cooccur with your season-specific anxiety may include (but are not exclusive to) the following:
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Social phobia
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Chronic stress
- Biopolar disorder
- Depression
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Wouldn’t you like to find out if your seasonal shopping anxiety is indeed related to something deeper? In discovering (or dismissing) this, you clear the path for greater mental health and wellness.
Interventions known to be effective in alleviating negative feelings and associated behaviors/reactions to shopping stimuli include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Both therapies can be provided online and by phone today through Kindbridge. This is one gift for yourself that keeps on giving through the Holiday season and beyond.
Feel better in time to enjoy the Holiday season with friends, family, and loved ones. Reach out via the contacts provided below to speak with a Kindbridge care coordinator.
Alleviate Holiday Season Anxiety Today
CALL +1 (877) 426-4258
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Email [email protected]
