Let’s take a walk around us. stop and reflect. How many of the objects that you have wanted or bought in the last 7 days (to put a period of time) were really necessary and essential? Now, ponder a new question: how many times have you found yourself not knowing what to give to a loved one because you consider that they have everything? It has everything! The expression, in itself, is -at least- striking, because in that “everything” probably many experiences are missing, even the simplest and most everyday ones.
A recent study carried out by Ipsos says that 4 out of 10 Spaniards admit to feeling emotionally bad or very bad. They are unhappy. We continue with worrying levels on an emotional level following the pandemic, just as we continue to perpetuate the idea that with greater purchasing power, greater happiness. And that we live in a country where the majority of the population has everything. saving the poverty cases that, as in all countries, there is also in Spain and the loss of purchasing power that increasingly affects families, the truth is that in terms of material goods there is no comparison with countries like thailand o Filipinaswhere many homes do not even have a television and yet are happier.
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According to data from the III AXA Group Emotional Well-Being Report carried out in 16 countries, Thais and Filipinos enjoy significantly more optimistic emotional health than Spaniards. Is it necessary to have many possessions and objects to be truly happy? You may be thinking that they live in paradise, but really the location is not what makes them enjoy every moment, but the experiences they share. For Filipinos, for example, an followingnoon of karaoke is an immense joy, which in many cases in Spain can be comparable to having a latest generation mobile.
Are we materialistic?
Obviously, everyone needs certain material objects to live, but learning to separate those goods we need from those we want and understand that happiness is in everyday experiences it is essential for our psychological balance. But the story is not that. The human being seems to have forgotten the conception of life in aspects foreign to the material, which is what really fills him emotionally. We have forgotten to live fully. We have stuffed ourselves with things that, in many cases, have not completed us, but have saturated us. Now the digital disconnection It gives pleasure, when we have been the ones who have used that trap.
We have filled our homes with objects that we really do not need. Have you ever felt saturated when you got home? Our home is the reflection of our lives, they tell us from TherapyChat, online therapeutic assistance platform. According to a study from the University of Bath, the space we call home has a major impact on our way of perceiving and interacting with the world. This is not, however, a recent finding. In the same way that open, clear spaces with natural light reduce stress and transmit calm, closed, dark and crowded environments can predispose us to suffer anxiety and emotional discomfort. This relationship between the environment and our well-being is reciprocal: in the same way that we leave our mark on the spaces we inhabit, they themselves influence our way of living.
But not only the environment affects our psychological well-being. our possessions they also play a fundamental role in the construction of our identity, sometimes without realizing it. The clothes we wear and other personal items, such as the books or plants we have at home, reflect our personality and reveal our tastes and preferences. They also have an impact on our well-being, transmitting sensations of comfort and full happiness that often offer relief from the discomfort generated by a hectic pace of life. “When possessions become an extension of ourselves and material goods not only fill the spaces, but also cover our emotional needs, we face the conflict between happiness and materialism,” they comment from TherapyChat.
An ephemeral well-being
Materialism has always endangered the concept of happiness, but we are at a time when it is crucial to make it understandable to the youngest. According to a survey carried out in Spain, shopping is the activity that makes 58% of people the happiest. “This feeling may have its origin in a neurophysiological response, while we feel pleasure and satisfaction for the acquisition of a new object, because we fulfill a need that we had. This feeling is a natural response, but also addictive and, above all, ephemeral, which can be counterproductive if used to fill a void, hide low self-esteem or hide emotional deficiencies”, the experts explain.
Later, when those objects that we buy are part of our routine, they lose that power to grant happiness. Their interest drops, the novelty effect wears off, and we once once more feel the urge to “need” something more. Clearly, the happiness that materialism gives us is ephemeral not to say unreal. “What brings us that happiness is not so much the material good, but the experience of acquiring that item,” they explain from TherapyChat. Then, what you want so much, do you really want it or is it what they have sold us in a globalized world?
With a state of economic uncertainty, the situation of consumerism worsens. You feel like a monkey because you can’t access all the goods and services you’re used to. It implies a change in our way of experiencing and interacting with the world. With the loss of purchasing power we are forced to change plans and spend lesswhich caused us psychological changes, favoring the development of stress, anxiety and even depression, and generating feelings of dissatisfaction and irritability facing an uncertain future. “Crisis are also a good opportunity to review our life habits, get rid of everything we don’t need, get rid of the consumer mentality and learn to value human relationships and small details more,” the experts say.
Five tips to be happy with less
Obviously, it is not regarding doing without basic elements for a dignified life: the right to a home, to be able to dress, to eat… But to those elements that make life more comfortable but are absolutely dispensable. “It is important to learn to Separate those goods we need from those we want. While the lack of the former can affect our well-being, not having all the goods we want can even be beneficial for our psychological balance,” they explain from TherapyChat. “Living with fewer possessions has multiple benefits. In addition to helping us focus on the really important things, lightening our day to day, it also helps us get rid of the materialistic mentality and the social pressure that leads us to buy something that does not reflect our identity”.
To get to that point, Isabella Arandaa health psychologist and Chief Content Officer of TherapyChat, offers some guidelines to learn (and get) to be happy with less:
- Ask yourself if you really need the things you miss. Confusing need with desire is a fairly common feeling, and sometimes we feel unhappy for not being able to acquire certain objects that, in our opinion, we need. Learning to differentiate the things we need from those we want can help us focus on what is truly important and save us enormous psychological discomfort.
- Remember that possessions do not define you as a person. It is essential to remember that your possessions do not reflect your worth, nor do they define who you are; they simply have a utility in your life. They are a means, not an end.
- Enjoy of the small details of life. Although we tend to associate happiness with great achievements, aspirations or dreams, the happiest moments happen when you least expect it. A meal with the family, that night with a blanket and a movie, an followingnoon with your friends… Happiness is often more linked to simpler and daily experiences with our loved ones than to material goods.
- focus in the things that you do have. Instead of focusing on everything you lack, become aware of what you have, value it, and be grateful for the mere fact of having it in your life. In this way, you will be more aware of how lucky you are and it will help you feel fuller happiness.
- embrace new habits that maintain your level of well-being: in times of crisis, we are sometimes forced to do without certain activities that brought us pleasure and happiness, such as going to yoga classes or going out to dinner at a restaurant. However, there are alternatives that can offer us the same fulfillment in a different way. The key, according to the TherapyChat experts, is to restructure your habits to embrace those new customs that will allow you to continue enjoying life and being happy.
