Shopping is an activity that we all engage in frequently. For most people, shopping is the system used to achieve the necessities and commodities we rely on in our everyday lives. It is a very common, basic practice that we engage in, and can become a reflection of our mental health and our level of responsibility. Your shopping habits can indicate what kind of person you are and how well prepared you are in life.
For example, someone who is mentally healthy and responsible will typically be in the habit of preparing for their shopping trips to some degree. With the exception of spontaneous shopping trips for small necessities, a responsible shopper will typically have shopping excursions methodically and on a schedule. They prepare for their shopping trips by listing the items they are in need of, then weighing them against a budget. If their budget does not allow for the entire list, they eliminate items. Their planning and budgeting is meticulous and they can foresee the process of shopping in order to prepare for it. To get a mental health checkup, one should go and seek professional advice from a mental health authority on the subject.
While they are shopping, they are weighing their shopping list with time and money management, all the while practicing self control. They pass by items that would make for enjoyable pleasure purchases and focus on the necessities that were premeditated. If something unexpected comes up or they remember an item they need but forgot to list, they consult their budget in order to make room for the item. They are seldom seen dashing around the store without a plan, but rather thinking carefully about every item they put in their cart and going through each aisle systematically.
One of the biggest differences between a prepared shopper and an ill-prepared shopper is the absence of buyer’s remorse. Because the prepared shopper foresaw their shopping experience in advance – what items they would bring home and how much it would cost them – they are not taken aback at all when they get home by their purchases because they anticipated the benefits and the costs of their shopping.