Listen to “How to Enjoy Life More with Less”.
We do work we don’t enjoy, we buy stuff we don’t need, we say things we don’t mean, we eat food that doesn’t contribute to our health and for decades society has conditioned us to live this way. Take the advertising industry for example, which continually preys on our insecurities to make us want new products; or our school systems, which indoctrinate us with the belief that success is nothing but the result of getting good at things we don’t like, just for the sake of an external reward; and our economic system, which forces us to work as wage slaves just so we can afford to feed ourselves and have roof over our heads.
For many people, life has become a burden and year by year its weight is growing heavier and heavier, until one day they will be unable to carry it any further.
Modern life is full, breathless and packed with new pressures. Maybe in the face of these pressures, it is natural that anxiety and depression are on the rise. Modern lifestyles are just not compatible with positive mental health for most people.
When you are feeling stressed, anxious, or upset, you may not take care of your health as well as you should. To make matters worse, poor emotional health can weaken your body’s immune system meaning that you are more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times.
We live in a world of excess with huge, boxlike stores and 24-hour online shopping opportunities allowing members of every socioeconomic bracket to drown themselves in unnecessary products. The paradox is that there isn’t any indication that any of these things make people happier; in fact, it seems that the reverse is true.
Intuitively, we know that the best stuff in life isn’t stuff at all and that relationships, experiences and meaningful work are the staples of a happy life. However, the question is: How can we break free from this chaos which has gotten so out of hand? Luckily, we have the answer.
Here are 3 simple steps to prevent the things you own from owning you:
1. Get rid of stuff that doesn’t serve your happiness.
Have a look at your possessions and ask yourself: Do I really need ALL of them? Separate the ones you do need from the ones you don’t, and throw the latter right into the rubbish bin — or better still, give them away to people who might actually benefit from them.
2. Resist consuming products you don’t need.
The main reason why so many of us want to buy new products all the time is that the advertising industry has fooled us into thinking that shopping is all we need to be happy. However, the reality is that once we have enough to satisfy our basic human needs, products can’t improve our well-being in any way, shape or form.
3. Appreciate all the amazing things you already have.
Appreciate:
- the beauty of nature.
- the joy of tasting food.
- the heart-to-heart bonding between you and your loved ones.
- the little things in life, and all of a sudden you’ll discover that you actually have way more than you thought.
