It is time to ask ourselves: Why do we want to go shopping? Do we need more things? Or de we just want similar trendy things like the people around us. Or do we feel the need to go shopping as an activity? Is it the need for entertainment, to treat ourselves, or is there really a need for the items we buy?

There are some downsides to shopping. Obviously the more we buy, the more we have to tidy up and look after, the more cluttered our houses become, and the more money we spend, and the bigger our footprint on planet Earth. In this article I talk about:

How to decrease the feeling of wanting something new or trendy.

How to decrease the feeling of wanting to go shopping as entertainment.

What to do instead of shopping.

Go shopping for the happy hormones

It makes you happy when you find something cheap or cool. A good buy makes us feel successful. Your brain makes some ‘happy hormones’ to make sure you will remember that ‘shopping makes happy’, for the next time when you want to feel like that. So next time when we feel bored or unhappy we might unconsciously search for something to improve our mood. You will be looking for that little ‘high’ . And so can shopping become an addiction.

You might not necessarily choose shopping, you might choose eating sugar, chocolate, chips, drinking alcohol, or anything stimulating or numbing. Usually not automatically the most healthy choice.

What can you do to feel happy and exited instead of a shopping trip?

I am worried about people buying too much. Working in a little town in one of the five local second hand shops I got a much clearer idea of the enormous amount of clothes and household items people buy to then donate to the shops. From the donations the best items will be bought by customers with a smaller wallet and, people with sustainable ideals, and hoarders. And the rest nobody wants to buy goes to groups who find the best out of that and then what is left goes into the tip. the amount that end up in the tip is huge…

The challenge is to find other ways to entertain yourself, and give you a little high. A few ideas for activities that gives you the same ‘high’ but are more sustainable, are healthy and some of them will save you money too. 

Exercise – Think of the runners high.

Declutter – Once you get the hang out of it, you will feel a happy rush after decluttering.

Finish a project- Many people love a tick of on the to-do list. Achievement makes happy. This is why it is important to set small goals; Smaller goals results in more often a feeling of achievement.