The Cost of Consumerism

This week online fast-fashion retailers Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo sent over 300,000 deliveries worldwide as opposed to their usual 180,000. Why is this? Because we as consumers are all at home, probably stuck for inspiration and things to be doing, trying to fill the parts of our brains that are usually fulfilled with our normal day to day lives where we are typically consuming more. As humans, it is our natural instinct to consume. We originate from cavemen and hunters, who would do anything it takes to consume a substantial meal. However, we’re now in the 21st century, and the things we consume differ to those even 50 years ago, never mind thousands. We are constantly consuming more information, more food, more clothes, more holidays, more everything. We spend the vast majority of our lives wanting and consuming. 

You’re probably thinking ‘what does this have to do with mental health?’. Actually, our own personal consuming patterns and desires are fundamental factors to our level of happiness. We live in a world where the more we own, the happier we are. How do you think marketing works? They tell us what we need and what we’re missing out on, so we buy it. That instant rush of excitement and gratification when you buy a brand-new outfit is the dopamine releasing, filling the void that told us our current wardrobe is no longer good enough. You wear the outfit a few times before eventually getting bored of seeing the same thing, so you either go online or into the shops and do it all over again. An endless cycle of wanting and consuming. But what if we made a stop in this cycle and focused on what we have rather than what we want? Not only does this help the planet, smaller businesses and our bank balances, it also clears our minds of the clutter and helps us to appreciate not the things we want, but the things that we need.

The first steps of gratitude are focusing on what we have, whether that’s shelter, warmth, family, or friends. It’s the very basics, and it’s almost as if we take these things for granted. By practicing gratitude and focusing on the things we currently have, we are more likely to open our awareness to the basic needs and wants in our lives and how easily we can reach them, as opposed to the bigger wants that strain our minds and other parts of our lives.

If you are looking for ways to cut down your consumption, start with maybe a clear out of what you currently have. Sometimes it is difficult to appreciate what we have when some of it isn’t useful to us anymore. By giving some of your things to charity or a loved one, you can appreciate the things you have held onto that still serve a purpose in your life, or that genuinely make you happy. There’s a misconception that the more we have, the happier we are, but due to the nature of modern life and our minds being so cluttered, it’s actually quite the opposite. By owning less, we appreciate more. 

Next time you’re feeling unsatisfied or have the urge to splurge on something brand new, listen to how you’re truly feeling and ponder whether the instant gratification of a new purchase is a permanent solution, or whether your feelings will return hours, days or months later. If it is the latter, then instead try practicing gratitude on what you currently have. If you’re wanting more clothes, raid your wardrobe and put together new outfits, this alone can feel like new. If it’s essential, buy second hand or from a charity shop so that rather than just serving yourself, you’re serving someone else. 

Another way to fight this never-ending want for more is to avoid following social media accounts that advertise for new clothing, gadgets and holidays. This only leads you to feel unsatisfied with what you have, causing you to want more. Obviously, this can be inevitable when most social media platforms run on advertisements, but you can almost hack the algorithms to advertise things better suited to you. 

Overall, the more we want, the less we appreciate what we currently have, and the key to breaking our consumer habits and buying less is by practicing gratitude. Don’t let the media trick you into believing you need more in order to be happier, as it’s quite the opposite! You have everything that you need right here, right now.

As always thanks for reading, and I’m sorry it’s been some time since my last post. 

A x