April 19, How to Stop Compulsive Shopping, Gain Inspired Awareness (And Heed Signpost #4 That You May Be a Compulsive Debtor)

Thought for today:
Do I return a complement with the price tag quote? Do I regret buying something soon after you bring the merchandise home?  After the newness wears off, is there “buyer’s remorse”, lost receipts, and vagueness like a hangover?
Compulsive shopping, especially when using credit cards to pay for it, happens quickly in a flourish, but that quick thrill is followed by feelings of fear.  If we are honest, though, we realize that the fear was there all along, hidden, and gets worse after an episode of needless shopping.
In DA, we think about our purchases before we spend, asking ourselves: “Is this something I really need and can benefit from?  Is it on my spending plan? Why do I want it, really?”
If we answer these questions sufficiently, we make our purchase confidently.  If not, we had better make bookending phone calls to a friend in DA.
With practice, putting emotional spending off long enough to reach out to our recovery friends is usually the best way for us to return to sane thinking.
Am I glad I’m rid of the compulsion to buy as the way I fill  emotional needs?
Signpost Four: “Compulsive shopping: Being unable to pass up a ‘good deal’; making impulsive purchases; leaving price tags on clothes so they can be returned; not using items you’ve purchased.”
Meditation for today:
You are valuable just as you are.  There is nothing you need to do to become more valuable as a human being.
Let the feelings of each moment wash over you a like waves on the shore.  Nothing is as important as processing your emotions.  Honor them.  They are inspired by your Higher Power.
Do not run from fear, but ask it, “what do you have to teach me today?”  Your Higher Power will always teach you what you need to know.
Affirmation for today:
“Today I will not try to acquire things just to feel valuable.  My value comes from being me.”
Prayer for today:
“I pray to be a good steward of the money and time and love that I have.  I pray that when confronted with fear, that I listen to HP’s  inspiration, and spend my resources wisely.”

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