How would you feel about refraining from buying more than one item of clothing per month?

Pandemic habits and social media have meant some people are mindlessly shopping even more and it's been having an impact on their mental health.

Author Caroline Foran joined The Home Show to discuss her experience of ditching the impulse purchases this year.

Before she took on this challenge, Ms Foran lost track of her shopping habits, because buying clothes was "just an automatic thing".

"I feel like I was so unconscious as a shopper that I can even tell you when, or where, or how often", she said.

Under pressure

"For anyone who is on social media or has a device at all, most of the shopping now - the impulse kind of shopping - happens online", Ms Foran said.

"All the triggers coming after you from all angles from one end of the day to the next."

She believes that wanting the latest trends is about more than just a love of fashion.

"These things you believe will transform your wardrobe, make you into a stylish person you always wanted to be or actually, on a deeper level, make you feel satisfied and happy", she explained.

"It's an unconscious thing that kind of happens to all of us."

"My wardrobe was spilling over with things that I felt like I had nothing to wear, but there was no kind of thought put into it."

Making the change

For Ms Foran, sustainability and mental health were her main reasons for making the lifestyle change.

"I think we're all becoming more aware of the sustainability element and just buying so many things that are either made in poor conditions or just contributing to damage the planet overall", she said.

Shopping mindlessly and the pressure to keep up with trends was also causing her anxiety.

"I just was feeling the pressure to keep up all the time, feeling like your value and your worth start to get attached to how you dress", she said.

She said she was influenced by articles that were even telling her what to wear on the school run, "as if you're supposed to turn up with some kind of curated styled outfit."

"I just want to step off that treadmill of feeling the pressure", she said.

Control

The challenge was also a way for Ms Foran to regain control over her image and her life.

"I think I was probably less concerned [before] with how I present myself because I mean really I would just end up wearing the same things all the time", she said.

"It was more of an element of wanting to get ahead of myself and be in control and be proactive moreso than reactive, which I think is always a great way to be for someone who is more prone to anxiety."

She said it encouraged her to "make decisions constantly as opposed to life just happening to you all the time".

The decision was a relief, she said, but it wasn't easy.

"It sounds so trivial, but when there's so many impulses and so many triggers coming at you, it's really hard."

Listen back to the full conversation here.

Clothes hanging on rack at shop. Picture by: Westend61 GmbH / Alamy