A psychologist spoke about ways to combat anxiety during sales

On November 22, Ekaterina Artemenko, community director of the online psychotherapy service "Yasno" and a practicing psychotherapist, told Izvestia about why we feel stress during sales and how to avoid an obsessive sense of anxiety when there are only red price tags and "generous promotions" around.

Before the New Year's holidays, you may get the thought that you can't manage to do something - clean the apartment, cook your favorite dishes, find a festive outfit and buy gifts for all your loved ones. The feeling of endless hustle and bustle is fueled by advertising campaigns, which persuade to urgently buy gifts at a discount, while there is still time, said the expert.

The expert added that sales can actualize the experience of meeting with existential data - loneliness, meaninglessness, finitude of life, freedom. Thinking about it often increases anxiety. But it's normal that people want to avoid it and consider different ways to distract themselves - for example, immersing themselves in endless scrolling through the window of marketplaces or buying unnecessary goods.

According to the psychotherapist, if anxiety has already occurred, it is important to study yourself and differentiate your states to understand more deeply what is behind the anxiety. The causes of such a state could be frustrated needs for safety, love or recognition.

"If you feel anxious, you should not try to 'conquer' it right away. It's more helpful to slow down and give yourself time to think about what feelings are behind the anxiety and what needs are signaling to us. It's okay if it doesn't work right away, this skill takes practice. For example, attending sessions with a psychologist teaches you to slow down and pay attention inside yourself," Artemenko explained.

In addition, some rituals or routine habits that stop the run of thoughts, distract and bring a person back to the present moment can help reduce stress. This can be anything from exercising or yoga to a cup of coffee, meditation, breathing practice or painting, the expert elaborated.

"Also, to reduce your anxiety levels during a sale, train your psyche to adopt simple everyday habits that will help you get back in balance. A regimen of sleeping, eating, taking care of health and other things that shape our interest in ourselves, rather than inviting us to seek quick satiation and reassurance in acquiring something external," Artemenko added.

The psychologist said that it is also useful to plan purchases and budget in advance. As a result, a person will be able to feel in control of the situation when discounts turn their head.

"Make a list of necessary purchases before the start of the sale. This will help to avoid spontaneous purchases and reduce the likelihood of emotional overwork," she advised.

Earlier, on November 8, in the Post Bank told that during the sales are activated fraudsters. As specified in the credit organization, the attackers, offering the most profitable offers, transfer users to third-party sites. As a result, buyers can be left not only without money and goods, but also with loans.