9 Ways to Tell if You’re a Compulsive Spender

3) Unpleasant Emotions Lead You to Shopping

As with many addictions, compulsive shopping can begin from a desire to escape negative emotions. These can include anger, frustration, loneliness, and self-doubt. As such, negative experiences such as arguments or other conflicts can set people off on a shopping binge. For some people, the act of shopping itself can temporarily tame these bad feelings. There can be a measure of self-satisfaction in finding items that suit oneself. However, spending money constantly to cover up feeling bad is not a good coping mechanism. Shopping does not address the problems that lead to those emotions in the first place. That is why to reduce compulsive spending habits, it may help to identify what is making you feel bad in your life. Once you do this, you can talk to someone to figure out a better way to remedy the issue.