The Dark Side of Stuffocation

Hey everyone,

Welcome to all my new subscribers & the ones who stick with me.

This week, I am celebrating the 6-month anniversary of this newsletter.

So big thank you to everyone who is reading my weekly issues and please share it with others if you like my thoughts & ideas.

This week’s post will take 5 minutes to read. So pick your coffee, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

I spent a couple of hours past weekend at my childhood home, where my parents are moving out from.

My room was filled with stuff from the 22 years I lived there.

Back then, I was an addicted collector - receipts from trips, boarding passes, old phones, magazines, etc.

I was throwing most of them out with no hard feelings this time.

Going through my stuff, there were things I could not and did not want to throw out, such as.

• boarding passes from my favorite flights so I can keep them for memories and use them as bookmarks

• old banknotes from various countries

There were also two kinds of stuff I had no intention of throwing away: photos and handwritten cards from family members.

Nowadays, we quickly throw away almost everything since we can store digital copies in the cloud. So why should we keep them right?!

True, but you can never know when some clusterfuck may happen that erases all your digitally stored memories.

Therefore, keeping some physical memories can provide positive attachments you can carry with you wherever you go.

I found photos of my childhood self brought back amazing memories and great emotions. They helped me contemplate my life path over the past 28 years to see how I grew and evolved and who I am today.

Handwritten cards and notes are great, as you can see someone’s effort to share some nice words with you. Especially the ones no longer alive and with you.

Just like in life, you also have to find balance in the stuff you own. Whether they are material things or memories from trips, events, etc.

But we tend to practice excessive materialism. And that is not as good as you think.

What Is Wrong With Materialism?

We are constantly bombarded with messages that we must buy more, own more, and spend more because that’s the key to our happiness.

We also believe that we will feel much better if we buy that tenth shoe, coat, or change our phones every year when the new model comes out.

In reality, this generates additional anxiety and mental load.

Of course, it’s crucial for us to feel good in our bodies and in the clothes we wear, but we don’t need the fanciest clothes with big letters or logos on them to increase our self-worth.

As we improve our self-esteem, we realize that, most times that we are far better off with a simpler outfit. A Gucci joggers suit is disgusting.

I see some wealthy people who purchase new clothes every week and accumulate clothes in a large bedroom-size wardrobe.

Yet, they still feel miserable and constantly complain about their life.

A larger wardrobe does not correlate with a higher level of happiness.

It’s easy to get on the materialism ride, and we all fall into this trap.

Seeing new gadgets in shops or on social media and getting targeted ads can easily fuel our cravings.

I am no different than you.

I often see a new piece of tech and start craving it the same way I sometimes long for a pizza or burger.

I even have a wish list of items I want to buy sometime in the future - like an iPad Magic Keyboard, a professional camera, or a new saxophone.

Having such a list is not a bad thing. I recommend it to you.

However, constantly finding ways and rationalizing your cravings to make larger purchases may become the enemy of your mental well-being.

Why?

Because if it’s done without intentions or being mindful, you are putting yourself on the hedonic treadmill I wrote about in an earlier post.

Some Tips For Mindful Materialism

I am also trying to follow these tips with larger purchases that are on my radar.

1) Plan your purchases to celebrate a milestone.

You may have accomplished a great quarter at work, finished a race, or reached your weight loss goal. Allow yourself to celebrate it with one item on your wish list.

Since it’s connected with an accomplishment, you will undoubtedly appreciate that item more than a random purchase.

2) Wait to avoid impulse shopping.

We all have instant ideas and desires to purchase something - perhaps another gadget.

But before you rush to the next store, sleep on that for a few days to see if you still have that “craving” for it and whether it makes sense to purchase that item.

The answer will be “no” in most cases.

3) Declutter & sell or donate.

Before you plan to buy new clothes, go through your closet and see if there are any items you haven’t used for a long time and don’t intend to wear anymore.

The best you can do is to donate it (depending on its condition) to a charity shop or sell it. Don’t make any new purchases before checking your closet for unnecessary items.

Remember: the size of your wardrobe does not correlate with your happiness.

And one last piece of advice that’s very subjective:

Don’t spend hundreds of dollars/euros on gadgets that don’t serve any real purpose or solve real issues and discomfort.

Instead, spend that money on travel. From €300-400, you can easily go on a 4-5-day trip to a new destination and create memories that will last for a lifetime.

That gadget will only last for a few years. It’s your call.

Máté - The Mindful Guerilla

💡 My Weekly Recommendations 💡

Stuff I Recommend You This Week

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• Niklas Christl is an admirable guy with great filmmaking skills. In his latest video, he opens up about his mental and physical struggles during the past months of working on his online course. Worth a watch!

• If you want to get smarter every day in various fields of interest, sign up to Refind and let the algorithm send you 5 valuable links every day, curated from 10k+ sources.

Newsletters I Read Every Week

• Overthoughts by Akta - Lately, Akta’s newsletter has been my go-to weekly source of notions on how to feel less overwhelmed in the world of constant noise, social pressures, and overthinking. The perfect complement to my newsletter.

• Young Money - Jack writes inspirational & insightful posts on finance, career, and life. I learned a lot from his work, which motivated me to start my newsletter. 10/10 recommended!

• Snail Mail by Slow Growth - a weekly newsletter delivered every Monday by Matt D'Avella's team with great motivational content on productivity. It's not the usual productivity bullshit that you find everywhere else.

• International Intrigue - A valuable newsletter on diplomacy & geopolitics delivered every weekday. Rather read this than all those shitty clickbait articles on mainstream media.

• Exec Sum - A daily newsletter on the major stories from the financial world. It's fun, entertaining, and informative. Better than those finance outlets with shitloads of ads.

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