Perhaps you know that feeling. You go to the mall with friends thinking it’s going to be a blast but end up just feeling tired. Instead of having fun, you just feel drained and not in the mood anymore. It’s not what you planned at all. The energy turns to exhaustion, and leaving is the only thing on your mind.
As a spiritual being, your energy is profoundly affected by your surroundings. Malls are designed to stimulate your senses and emotions to get you buying stuff. But all that stimulation takes a toll on your energy field. You’re bombarded with sounds, smells, and visuals that excite your mind and desires. Your energy gets pulled in so many directions that you end up depleted.
My Story
Before we get into all the deeper meanings, let me tell you about my experience. I’m one of those people who always gets exhausted at the mall. No matter how many times I go shopping, my mind starts to shut off. I get so tired, yawning up a storm with my eyes trying to close. All I want to do is leave.
A lot of the time, too, my mind just goes blank, and I experience a sense of derealization. I lose track of where I am and have to look at my hands or say something out loud to realize that, yeah, I’m actually here in this moment.
I have type one diabetes. My doctor said it’s because my blood sugar goes up and down a lot. Whenever I go out, I always check my blood sugar levels. I’ve also had insomnia since I was a kid. Even now, it’s hard for me to fall asleep without medication. But whenever I go somewhere really crowded, such as a shopping mall with a lot of people, I get super tired and exhausted. To be honest, it’s weird because I usually have trouble sleeping! But in a busy place with lots of people, I feel really sleepy.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to realize a few things about why I feel the way I do sometimes. There are a couple of reasons that I think really explain it:
- I am a very sensitive person, and when I’m out at the mall, I just can’t help but take in all the energy around me. It’s like I soak up everyone’s vibes, good and bad, but mostly bad. By the time I leave, I’m wiped out. Then I need like a whole day to recharge afterwards. It’s tough being an empath sometimes.
- With all the different perfume smells and coffee in the air, plus all the voices of everyone around, it’s way too much stimulation. All these senses are overloaded, and it’s really clouding my thinking. Again, I believe it has to do with me being a super sensitive person.
What Is A Shopping Mall Fatigue?
A shopping mall fatigue is that feeling of exhaustion and overwhelm you get after spending too much time in a crowded shopping mall. Symptoms can include headaches, irritability, derealization, social anxiety, and a general desire to escape the hustle and bustle.
The Overstimulation of The Senses
A trip to the mall exposes you to an onslaught of sights and sounds that quickly overwhelm your senses. The bright lights, loud music, crowds of people, and barrage of products vie for your attention all at once. This overload taxes your mind and body.
Mentally, the excessive stimulation causes stress and anxiety as your mind struggles to process all the input. You have to navigate through busy walkways, make quick purchasing decisions, and filter through options – all of which drain your cognitive resources.
Physically, the loud noises raise your heart rate and blood pressure, tiring you out. The crowds also trigger your “fight or flight” instinct, releasing cortisol and adrenaline that leave you feeling frazzled.
Visually, the sheer amount of choices and products to look at make your eyes work overtime. Constantly scanning items, reading details, and comparing options expend a huge amount of mental and visual energy.
The mix of sounds from people, music, announcements, and more creates an audible chaos that wears you down over time. Loud, sudden noises also startle you, releasing bursts of stress hormones that accumulate.
In the end, a trip to the mall overloads your senses through an assault of stimulation, sights, and sounds that tax you mentally and physically. No wonder you leave feeling drained and exhausted.
Absorbing Other People’s Energy
When you’re around a lot of people, especially in an enclosed space like a mall, you absorb the energy and emotions of others. Their stress, anxiety, and impatience seep into you. Before you know it, you feel irritable, tired, and want to escape.
If you start to feel overwhelmed, step away from the crowds. Take a walk outside or do some light exercise like stretching. Move your body to release any energy you’ve accumulated and rebalance yourself. Staying hydrated and avoiding excessive sugar or caffeine also help you maintain your energy boundaries. I know coffee is a big part of shopping at a shopping mall, but try to avoid caffeine if possible.
You Feel Manipulated
The upbeat music, winding paths, and maze-like layout are meant to influence your mood and behavior. It’s hard not to feel like a pawn in the mall’s game. Your natural human desire for meaning and purpose feels frustrated in this superficial consumer playground.
You’re Bombarded With Choices
A sea of options but little depth. Do you really need 50 kinds of jeans to choose from? All this choice overload taxes your mind and willpower. It’s exhausting having to make so many meaningless decisions.
You Lose Connection With What Really Matters
While wandering the mall, it’s easy to get caught up in what you don’t have instead of appreciating what you do have. You may start to judge yourself and others based on appearances and status symbols rather than character or experiences. Your time feels wasted on trivial pursuits rather than connecting with loved ones or engaging in self-care.
You Feel Empty After Overindulging
Buying new things gives you a temporary thrill, but it doesn’t satisfy you for long. Soon, you need to buy something else to lift your mood again. This cycle of overconsumption and instant gratification leaves you feeling depleted rather than fulfilled. Your true source of meaning remains untouched.
The mall environment, with its excessive commercialism and materialism, simply doesn’t align with your deeper human needs and values. It’s no wonder you end up feeling mentally and physically drained.
Lack of Nature
Malls are completely disconnected from the natural world. Typically, there are no trees, grass, or natural sunlight. We are deprived of the energizing effects of nature.
Spending time in artificial environments impacts us psychologically. We yearn for natural surroundings that have been part of human existence for most of history. The concrete jungle of a mall creates a sense of disconnection and lack of grounding. Our spiritual and emotional well-being depends on access to natural spaces.
The constant stimulation of music, sounds, and scents in a mall environment tires out our senses. We aren’t designed to experience prolonged exposure to loud noises, crowds, and overpowering smells. It leads to mental fatigue, anxiety, and feelings of being overwhelmed.
Misalignment With Your True Self
The flashy advertisements and hype surrounding consumerism in malls appeal to your ego and material desires rather than your deeper self. Your higher self knows that you are whole and complete without needing external validation or the latest products. Yet malls prey on feelings of lack, inadequacy, and greed to drive profits. This conflict between your spiritual truth and the mall’s messaging creates inner turmoil that depletes your energy.
Spending hours focused on accumulating more “stuff” also moves you away from what really matters – relationships, experiences, personal growth, and finding purpose and meaning. The mall environment bombards you with choices that distract you from your true priorities and values in life. No wonder you feel off-kilter and drained after leaving.
I Love Shopping Malls, But..
..I really enjoy going to the mall. Don’t get me wrong, shopping can be a blast. But sometimes, it’s just too much. When I go, I always pop in my headphones with my favorite tunes on. I also pop one of those menthol candies in my mouth. And I imagine this big, strong, invisible wall all around me. That way, I don’t have to take on all the bad vibes and energy from other people.
If the mall totally drains you every time you’re there, maybe it’s best to just stop going, my friend. Life is short, and it isn’t worth spending your mental and spiritual energy feeling fried.
