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Karen Champ's avatar

I've thought about this a lot and, for me at least, a lot of it comes down to that feeling of "busyness" and wanting so much to do things that make me feel better but not being able to justify the time. I want to sit down and read a book, but I am so busy (and yes, this is of course that manufactured busyness that we've all been told to devote our lives to) that I feel like I can't actually do that - but what I can do is BUY a book. And I feel a little bit more like a person who might sit down and read a book.

Recognising this does not, of course, stop me from buying a bunch of shit all the time. But it helps me sometimes, to recognise that impulse and go, "Do you want to buy this book/sports bra/mug/cosy sweatshirt or do you actually want to read/do yoga/have a quiet cup of tea/snuggle up on the sofa?" and then trying to make time to do the activity instead of buying something as a proxy.

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Virginia Sole-Smith's avatar

Yes, yes, this is looking in a very uncomfortable mirror. I was both grateful that you did not list houseplants in the list of hobbies that require consumption and also highly aware that we should add houseplants to that list. (I justify that and book purchases by telling myself that I'm helping to keep two local businesses afloat... but it is also 100% first and foremost, a stress response and self-soothing tactic learned from a youth spent in shopping malls.)

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