Retail therapy, anyone?

Does shopping relieve stress? Is retail therapy the solution to your hectic and pressurefilled life?

It cannot be denied that stress is a part of life. What with all the demands that people have to face nowadays. Pressures at work, problems at home, even traffic can cause stress.

But people have found ways to cope with stress, one of which is retail therapy. Yes, there are some people who deal with stressful

situations by shopping! Michaela Katrina Ragasa, a 19-year-old student, is one those who turn to retail therapy to de-stress, saying it diverts her mind from the demanding reality that she faces. She considers shopping her “dreamland,” where she gets to experience the things she enjoys the most.

“Like any other woman, purchasing stuff that I believe enhances me or my beauty gives me pleasure,” the teenager smiled. “Shopping is also my bonding time with my mom, making me forget the anxieties in my life,” she added.

Ragasa, who shops at least once or twice a week, said shopping calms her nerves and revitalizes her.

“Shopping is one of my escapes from my stressful life and it gives me peace of mind whenever I'm confused and need time to think,” she said.

But Dr. Marivic G. Diwa, a psychologist who is also a guidance councilor at a university in Cebu City, said that while shopping can truly lift one's mood and can be relaxing to some, this is only a temporary remedy.

Diwa said some people think of shopping as a tool to entertain their eyes and shift their attention from the depressive thoughts on work, study and relationships into positive feelings.

Shopping, in a way, gives people a sense of achievement and satisfaction especially when they are able to buy the things - the best brands - they like, she added.

“But the good feelings it can give you is just temporary,” she emphasized, adding that stress-busting can actually be done in simple ways without really spending money.

However, she said that different people have different ways of reacting and coping with stress.

Believing that shopping - may it be online or actual store shopping - can be a great stress-buster, “depends on one's personality. If you're a person who loves to shop, perhaps, that's one way to relieve stress. It's only applicable to people who love to shop,” explained Diwa.

The love for shopping can be attributed to the media's significant and big influence to the public in terms of lifestyle, fashion, ideas and others, Diwa noted.

For instance, the media influences people's fashion statement through the way it portrays celebrities who show the latest trends or what is “in.”

But what about those who are stressed but do not have the money to shop?

Diwa said shopping is not the only way to relieve stress and there are other effective and simple ways to de-stress.

Window shopping is a wiser alternative for people who don't have money to shop.

But Diwa warned this could also pose negative effects since those who window shop might go into money envy. “There's a tendency ngamasmakahatag pahinuon og stress ang window shopping kay kung naa kay

magustohan that will stay in your mind,” she said, adding that lack of money could possibly put in more negative thoughts to a person because he or she is unable to satisfy his or her wants.

Impulsive buying, on the other hand, is critical and may not be good for people who have enough money at hand.

Nineteen-year-old Cleo Palgan, who admitted to be a mall goer since high school, shared to The FREEMAN that she once unconsciously experienced being reckless in buying. She said she unintentionally spent more or less P10,000 in just one shop. “Nahitabotosiya first year college ko. Gipadalhan

ko’gkwarta saakongpapasa ATM,” Palgan recalled. “After class, adtoog mall unyakung unsay magustohan,

gamitang ATM. Wapamanko kahibawounsaon pagbudget.”

Diwa said people combat stress in ways that interest them - eat more, sleep, hang out with friends, go to the beach, and shop. But it is important, she said that these coping mechanisms be done in moderation.