Awareness is half the battle

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One of my clients had accumulated the equivalent of two closets full of clothing and squeezed them into her single closet. As we worked together, she managed to let go of about half of her blouses she didn't like or hadn't worn in years, and freed up space in her closet.

She began to recognize and understand that she bought clothes not necessarily because she needed them, but because shopping was a way to soothe uncomfortable feelings. Because awareness is half the battle, she and I worked on developing and creating new habits for when she finds herself in the same predicament.

Now before she goes into a clothing store, she sits in her car, closes her eyes, takes at least five deep breaths and reminds herself of her goal to maintain her recently-downsized closet. She’s reported that the method has been working well so far!