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Shopping for the new season is heaps of fun but it’s not so fun when you feel overwhelmed and distracted by the busyness. 

It’s finally springtime. Winter, you will be missed but we’re ready for some sun! The start of a new season means looking for new pieces to add to the wardrobe. It’s a lot of shopping in thrift stores and malls, but for me along with that comes the feeling of being overwhelmed by the huge amounts of advertising, bright colours everywhere and just the sheer number of items in stores. I sometimes find myself losing sight of what I've come to buy and end up not buying anything at all, or buying something I’m not quite happy with. This leaves me feeling fatigued and unsatisfied at the end of the day.

Although I love finding new clothing items to express myself, I’d hate to see myself losing motivation for it. These are a few things I’ve learnt to incorporate over the years and have really helped me feel more content while shopping.

1. Having a list of items I want to buy. I’m definitely the type of person who has so many things to buy but goes blank when the times come to buy them. So, I’ve started a note on my phone where I jot down items to get as soon as I think of them and refer to this on the way to shop or during.
2. Having an inspiration board. I use good ol’ Pinterest, and pin photos that exhibit the essence and style I want to go for. I refer to this as 'I’m shopping to remind me of my goals rather than getting swept up in the billboards'.
3. Scan rather than sift when it comes to thrifting. I find the number of items and seemingly never-ending racks of clothes quite overwhelming, sifting through these can be tiring. To avoid this fatigue, I like to scan over the items to see if anything catches my attention. Maybe, it’s something on my list or maybe it’s something that has piqued my interest. 
4. Not buying something unless I’m 100% satisfied with it, or as Marie Kondo would have it “unless it sparks joy.” Buying something I’ve had to compromise on often leaves me with feelings of regret, so I’ve decided to avoid this completely and only purchase items that make me feel happy.

How’s your shopping experience this spring?