Go Antiquing and Improve Your Mood Hunting for collectibles and antiques can actually make you feel better, literally. Shopping for your favorite objects of desire has a calming effect for some and is a mood elevator for others.
News-Antique.com - Mar 22,2008 - People will often speak of their passion for accumulating treasures as an addiction or a disease which is infectious, according to C. Dianne Zweig, psychotherapist and author of "Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s" and the soon to be released "Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes."
Folks recognize that going out searching for their favorite objects of desire is a sure way to improve their mood, says Zweig. "Whatever the feeling is that stirs our interest in going shopping in the first place what seems to be universal for every collector I know is that when they are out and about hunting for collectibles they are having a ball.....they are feeling good!" Zweig explains.
C. Dianne Zweig, a regular herself at flea markets and collectible haunts meets lots of woman and men who tell her that the art of collecting relaxes them. One fellow collector stated that browsing in second hand stores or going "junking" in vintage shops is a pretty cheap habit. The bottom line according to Zweig who has been a psychotherapist for over 30 years is that whether we are feeling a bit nostalgic, singing the blues or feeling a little jumpy we know how to cure ourselves at these times. We go out and search for more "junk" or "stuff" or tchotchkes.
Improving our mood while we are treasure hunting is not just a psychological thing. There is also a physiological explanation to why we feel better when we are out and about. We have known for a long time that shopping really can be therapy for some people. "Don't laugh", Zweig comments....shopping like exercise has a positive effect on boosting the "feel good" chemicals which we commonly associate with "the runners high" or how Prozac and Zoloft work. For some, it turns out shopping provides a thrill which can offset a lousy mood. Also, finding things sometimes and not at other times, builds tension which adds to the thrill, making hunting more exciting, Zweig explains further.
If it is too easy to find a particular collectible the hobby would become boring. This is one of the reasons why seasoned collectors spice up their collections by upgrading their inventory says Zweig who displays her antiques and collectibles at The Plantsville General Store Antique Center in Connecticut. Essentially, people find that when they become more selective about what they buy, their hunt gets more challenging. Collecting should be exciting, fun and not too frustrating however, advises Zweig.
Most collectors Zweig knows are rarely frustrated about finding things, in fact they have the opposite concern that they are coming home with way too many things. They worry that they are going over board with their rooms filled with vintage magazines, kooky lamps, or old spark plugs. What advice does Zweig offer those concerned about over collecting..... " I tell them not to worry, that there is a difference between being a minor league pack rat where collecting is a pastime and being someone
