It doesn't work. Working all the time or excessive shopping are attempts at avoiding emotional distress. They don't work. Our initial tendency is to focus on the feeling level and to change it first. The feeling or emotional level, however, is the most difficult to work on.
Feelings are powerful but vague.
You can not get a grip on a feeling. If you want to change your feelings you must start elsewhere. You must begin with either your thinking or your behavior over which you have more control. The secret in effectively changing your emotions is knowing that feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are all related. The emotions will change and you will be creating resiliency.