When Typical Shopping Trips Turn Bad – Five Ways to Cope
All you need is a gallon of milk and a head of lettuce, but you DREAD the grocery. The parking is a mess, everyone is in a hurry and it’s just like facing a firing squad.
This time of year, any shopping trip is more and more of a struggle. It’s as if everyone has been turned loose and it’s a free-for-all. I try to stay away from the places I know will just be upsetting, but the reality is that we still have our usual shopping that must be done, so there’s no way around it. I have some ideas for how to deal with the crush this time of year.
1. Don’t try to rush. Everything takes longer now, so just accept it. Trying to rush will only make everything seem like it’s moving in slow motion.
2. Don’t try to find the closest parking spot. You will probably actually save time parking further away than waiting for a spot closer to the door.
3. Multi task. If you can do your banking, your grocery shopping and pick up your prescriptions all in one trip, go for it. Take advantage of what your grocery has to offer in terms of other services, too, like dry cleaning drop-off or mailing centers.
4. Make a list. This shows up on every shopping tips list for a reason. It works. Floundering through the store trying to remember what you need is frustrating enough – wait until you get home and realize you forgot the one thing you went for in the first place, a gallon of milk.
5. Smile at people. Studies have shown that smiling actually improves your health and your mood. Smile at the clerk at the grocery. Smile at the person in line at the drug store. According to Daniel H. Johnston, Ph.D., Macon, Georgia, “Forcing yourself to smile may work almost as well as laughing, at least, for changing your mood. Putting a big smile on your face sends a message to your brain that things are – okay. If you are smiling, your brain thinks, ‘I must be happy.’ You can fool yourself into feeling good by smiling.” Even if you don’t feel like smiling, try it.
Holiday Shopping, Stress, Grocery Shopping, Smiling
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