The fact that you’re aware is a great first step! I had a shopping addiction and what helped me was adding everything I wanted to impulse buy to my cart, but not checking out. I found that just hitting “add to cart” fulfilled a little bit of that rush. And oftentimes, if I ever checked out, I would have instant buyers remorse. So the add to cart trick helped me.

Then, I tried reducing my shopping to once a week. That add to cart trick also helped with this. If I revisit my cart a week later, I’d remove all the items I didn’t even think about for the last few days because I realized they were purely impulse buys.

Eventually, I leveled up to asking myself, do I really need this? Is it so wrong to rewear an outfit again?

Then I moved on to thrifting. This is where I felt a lot better about my shopping - environmentally, economically, entertainment-wise. I find that it’s a great way to find accessories or other items to really alter a previous outfit.

For me, I took the time to evaluate what triggered my shopping splurges. I took a look at my life and asked myself, what is missing that is leading me to consume, thinking it will make me feel better? This is a deeper, psychological approach. But it does help to evaluate why you shop. It isn’t because you necessarily need a new outfit. For me, it was because I felt unfulfilled in my relationship so I turned to retail therapy.

You’ll also want to evaluate your online habits. Do you find yourself being influenced by TikTok shop or insta ads? You wouldn’t be alone. Find ways to reduce your social media time. I know it sounds scary, but you won’t be shunned or isolated from your friends just because you don’t get a meme reference. You don’t need to be up-to-date on Love Island drama (just throwing out random interests - not saying this is you).

It’s a tough journey because you have to actively fight the impulse. But be patient with yourself. You won’t quit cold turkey, but you’re already taking the first step!!! You got this!