Mindfulness for CBT and Impulsive Spending

Written by April Hwang (Reviewed by Esha Chakraborti Kaushik, PsyD)

Next time you feel the urge to add to cart on an impulse, take a few minutes to read this blog.

Notice the intensity – On a scale of 1 to 10, how strong is your desire to make the

purchase? Notice if this changes while reading the blog.

Notice your thoughts – What thoughts are going through your mind at this very

moment?

 “If I don’t buy this now, I will miss out.”

o Ask yourself: If I miss out, what’s the worst thing that could happen and

how could I cope? What’s the best thing that could happen? What’s the

most realistic thing that will happen?

 “If I buy this, I will feel happy/ good about myself.”

o Ask yourself: Is this 100% true? 0% true? Or somewhere in between?

 “I’ll just buy this one last thing and then I’ll stop.”

o Ask yourself: What will happen if you keep telling yourself that you will just

buy one more thing and continue with your current spending habit? What

will happen if you make a difference choice today and started to change

your spending habit?

Accept – It’s normal to want to buy new thing, feel excited and good about yourself.

This makes you human. And we can also accept that sometimes we choose not to give

ourselves something we want.

Watch – Separate yourself from the urge to buy and watch yourself from a distance

without judgement. Imagine that you are a friendly bystander.

Act constructively – Close the tab and do something else you like. You are not running

away from your impulse; you are choosing to engage in something else interesting.

Notice the intensity – On a scale of 1 to 10, how strong is your desire to make the

purchase? Notice without judgement if this number has shifted. There is no expectation,

just an opportunity to get curious.

Be kind – it’s okay that you want to buy something. It’s also okay to sit with the

discomfort of wanting something and not acting on the urge. Allow yourself the

opportunity to experience this feeling fully, recognizing that this is a shared human

experience.

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Reference

Beck, J. S., & Beck, A. T. (2020). Cognitive behavior therapy: basics and beyond (Third

edition.). Guilford Publications.