How to deal with shopping anxiety in this age of COVID-19 pandemic?

Research conducted by Deloitte revealed that by September 2020, 57 % of Americans were anxious about shopping in stores over the holidays, furthermore, 61% of customers were planning to do shopping online. At first glans, this might feels normal, we just adapt to our new reality, well it might be, or is not it?

Every holiday season usually goes hand in hand with shopping. Shopping for gifts, shopping for holiday décor, and shopping for the best Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals all seem to be a crucial part of the holiday season.

Buying gifts for loved ones is a generous way to express kindness, however, sometimes shopping can take its toll on our mental health. Shopping can take its toll on our wallets as well as our mental health, especially when we shop without a purpose. Compulsive buying, “retail therapy,” or shopping out of boredom can lead to a pile of unnecessary belongings, guilt, and financial hardships, do not forget to add up the COVID-19 pandemic and the way our habits have been changed and we find ourselves in the middle of holiday season rush, socially distended, more anxious than ever before.

A poll by the American Psychiatric Association on COVID-19 revealed how much anxiety has consumed us.

The association’s national poll found nearly six in 10 Americans felt coronavirus seriously disrupted their daily lives; 48% were anxious about contracting coronavirus; while 36% – more than one in every three Americans – said the virus was having a serious effect on their mental health.

Thus with all these in mind, one could wonder how to deal with shopping anxiety properly.

Whilst there is no one perfect solution, starting with planning might help quite a lot?

Have a clear plan of your action, divide it into categories such as online and onsite, plan accordingly what resources you need for both.

Remember that compulsive buying is the uncontrollable desire to shop for unnecessary items that result in financial hardships and related problems. It is fueled by obsessive thoughts that provide a rush of excitement during the act, however, this rush of excitement is short-lived.

Before the anxiety sets in and your list of gifts grows longer, approach your shopping from a different angle, pick a name, make a list of people and set a budget, if necessary open a specific account for holiday budget, this will keep you from overspending.

Finally, remember that this is not a race, gifts are supposed to be given from the heart, not because of obligation.