So What Is It?
A brain chemical actually.
I know, I know you can’t buy brain chemicals but just hear me out…
Before you make a purchase it’s really important to consider WHAT you’re buying and WHY?
Do you REALLY need it? What are YOU trying to achieve by spending all your hard earned cash (that means you have to work even harder each day!) How do the things you spend money on make you FEEL?
Is it possible that you’re buying stuff to make yourself feel better, conceal some gaps in your life, possibly escape the fact you have some bigger issues weighing on your mind right now.
Now personally I love a bit of retail therapy, my mum conditioned me from a young age by making shopping a ‘mission’ to keep me and my brothers entertained. She would brief us with a challenge,usually a dress criteria, and send us off to find it. My brothers soon got wise to the agenda and decided sliding across the shop floor on their knees was much more exciting but I continued to love being tasked with a retail adventure.
Buying things, or the rather the anticipation of doing so, causes a surge in the brain chemical known as dopamine. It’s released when our brain anticipates a rewarding experience and motivates us to head out and grab it. Many folk will be heading out on Black Friday with dopamine levels off the charts. In fact this is really what’s on most people’s shopping list without them even realising!
The Problem
….is two fold.
Firstly, this rewarding sensation means that buying stuff is addictive. Your brain actually records the retail highs you experience and makes a note to do it again in future. A key problem here is that the buzz is temporary and it soon wears off. Also the more you indulge the more your brain compensates for these surges and down regulates the activity of dopamine. This means you need to spend more money and shop more frequently to get the same sense of exhilaration again.
The second aspect to consider is that you might be hanging out in this temporary high zone because you’re hiding from some bigger issues that NEED to be tackled.
I did this for years.
When I found myself struggling with a number of aspects of my life I would seek retail comfort (food too but that’s another blog!) I thought new clothes, spending a fortune on my hair, getting gel nails, stocking the food cupboards full and buying more faux fur throws than I knew what to do with would make me feel better. And they did ….. for about 5 minutes.
The Ironic Thing Is…
When I first started to explore nutrition as an alternative approach I gulped at the cost of a nutritional therapy session, recommended supplements and buying organic, quality ingredients. I resisted initially and tried to cut corners and find cheaper options. I put off investing in my own body and went off to spend twice as much on half a head of highlights, go figure???
I did this because I didn’t understand the value in placing my health first. I thought “things” could make me feel better. My spending was often worse when I had no control over my symptoms and suffered chronically with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and acne. Let me tell you no sparkly top from New Look was going to sort that lot out!
Yet buying “things” became a default distraction from the fact I was miserable in my own skin.
I’m sharing this with you because Black Friday and Chrimbo is a time of year we’re frivolous with our cash and throw it at a lot of “things” that offer a temporary high.
Now this is fine if you’re:
- Loaded and have money to throw away (I’d still rather you donated to a charitable cause instead!)
- Happy, healthy and loving life so this little spend is an added value bonus 🙂
BUT if neither of the above applies and you’re feeling low about your body, have lingering health issues, struggle to exercise, move and stay positive then the investment needs to go here FIRST and FOREMOST.
Otherwise where does this spending stop? And what is the point, if you don’t have the energy, motivation or happiness to fully enjoy and appreciate the purchases?
Investments come in all shapes and sizes with Fitter Food but the one we have this weekend on Fitter 16 means you can bag your Black Friday bargain, enjoy a quick high but then build upon this immediately with the tools and information we send over after collecting some information about you and your goals.
Make this investment in yourself because it’s guaranteed to provide a wealthy return in the future as you enjoy a steady, natural production of dopamine that’ll save you a fortune in retail therapy sessions.
Sprint here for your BEST ever Black Friday deal, a whopping £50 off our Fitter 16 Lifestyle Transformation Plan —–> www.fitter16.com
