There are many ways women handle a bad day, but buying your way into feeling better won't help and retail therapy isn't covered by health insurance.

We could reach for a chocolate bar, a glass of wine, smash a plate or rake one of those mini Chinese sand boxes with restraint to deal with our anger, loss or frustration, but retail therapy will only make things worse in the long run.

Many women, myself included have gone shopping in a frame of mind where they have the itch the buy something (anything) and it will make their bad day seem better. When I had my first big break up I purchased seven pairs of high heels and four dresses in about three hours. Yep, that was me, puffy-eyed and carrying shopping bags so heavy my mum had to help me.

The thing we realise after handing over our money is that four pairs of earrings won't fix your breakup, it won't give you the promotion you didn't end up getting and it won't help you feel better about yourself. For the hour after you shop you may feel a slight sense of achievement, your dopamine levels may be slightly higher, you'll have that contented feeling you get after eating some comfort food. However, soon you'll feel hungry again and the issue you thought you relieved will come back knocking.

When you wake up on an average day, already not one hundred percent happy with your current style, adding those few random impulse buys will only add to the struggle of daily dressing because you didn't put enough thought into them and hopefully, this post will help you work out what you should be spending your money on when you feel like a little retail therapy.

Four Steps to Doing Retail Therapy Right

1. Look at your wardrobe before you go. Try to determine what you're actually missing from your wardrobe or what needs replacing so you don't end up bringing home items that you already have.

2. Get On Pinterest: I go on and on about how amazing Pinterest can be for help you to create your own style - because it's fabulous! Make a Pinterest board and make sure you're inspired by things that are your style, don't go to the shops not knowing what look you're trying to achieve.

3. Leave your card at home and get cash out. Set yourself a limit as to how much you're going to spend.

4. When you find the item, try it on, make sure it fits properly and stay away from items that I call motivation pieces, now is not the time to buy a skirt that you'll fit into when you've lost five kilos.

5. Ask yourself the following questions and if you can answer yes to all of them, then you can purchase it:

   • Is it within my budget?

   • Is it timeless?

   • Can I think of at least five things I can wear it with?

   • Does it fit me properly?

   • If I buy it, will it be the only thing like it in my wardrobe?

   • Will I actually get wear out of it?

   • Is it my style? (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT)

Then ask yourself these questions again but with your serious face on.

MODEL: JADE | H&MUA: LIV SLEE| PHOTOGRAPHER: JAN- ERICK LAZURIAGA | FASHION STYLIST: ALARNA HOPE