When I was younger, I had a shopping problem. In fact, I refer to myself as a reformed shopaholic, even though I was never diagnosed by a professional as having a shopping addiction.
It’s the constant buying that shopaholics get addicted to, whereas a regular shopper will feel happy taking an item home and putting it to good use.
The shopper’s high is real—so real that I used it to temporarily buffer feelings of low self-esteem, burnout and doubt. Whenever I’d feel bad about something, I’d use shopping as a way to cope.
After the shopping high had faded, I’d often feel regret or guilt about my purchases. To hide the shame I felt, I overcompensated. I created a whole persona around loving shopping and loved to share my favourite saying: “You only live once. Buy the shoes!”
This one is a red flag that so many people joke about. However, feeling the need to hide purchases from a spouse, family or co-workers is a sign that shopping is a problem in your life.
This is why it was so problematic for me to tie my identity up with shopping. I felt like I wasn’t myself if I hadn’t shopped or wasn’t shopping.