We have a disease of overconsumption and overstimulation
I genuinely can’t remember the last time I bought a new piece of clothing, tools, bags, or anything that I didn’t already own.
Sounds simple right? Just don’t buy shit you don’t need.
But when millions of $$$$ are being poured into algorithms, designed to map out your digital identity in order to understand you better than you understand yourself, rejecting their ads to buy junk you don’t need, will only get harder.
As 2020 comes to an end, I wanted to share my experience with overcoming the disease of overconsumption and overstimulation.
Rejecting Overconsumption
December is king when it comes to subjugating people to spend hours on end to buy useless shit for loved ones in order to play our part in the social contract we call holiday gift exchanges.
Everyone is buying me gifts, so I need to get them something too right?
Well, not really. Over the last few years, I’ve been relentless in telling my friends and family not to buy me anything for my birthday, Christmas, or any other reason.
Does it make me sound like an asshole? Maybe.
But I choose to reject material things and opt in for lived experiences instead. That $100 you were going to spend on jeans, let’s use it and go on a hike instead. $300 for new headphones? Forget it, let’s start a craft or project together and use that money as an investment.
I believe the root of our overconsumption habits is judgement.
We’re highly judgmental machines, and we subconsciously judge others without even realizing it. Whether it’s people’s looks, social class, etc.
In a similar respect, we fear judgement so much that we create and nurture unrealistic versions of ourselves both online and offline, all in the name of fitting in and conforming.
Buying useless shit is the easiest way to conform to the masses.
We constantly walk around thinking, “I need this to look like that,” or “I need that to feel like this,” without realizing we’re trapping ourselves in a web of desires.
We will never find happiness in this state as something will always be missing from our lives.
The goal is to be in a conscious state where you realize nothing is missing in your life. You’re satisfied with the things you already have and you’re at peace with yourself because you lack the desire for more (I’m tapping a bit into meditation and self awareness here but I’ll save that for another blog).
Next time you feel the urge to buy something, ask yourself what pain am I solving by making this purchase?
Is this really a pain or a desire?
Do I already have an alternative that can help me solve this pain?
The answer is simple, if it’s not solving an active pain, it’s useless shit that you shouldn’t buy.
Rejecting Overstimulation
In a similar realm, overstimulation is another disease that we can’t seem to shake off easily.
We’re never bored, we’re always actively thinking, watching, engaging, commenting, over committing and the worst part is that we think this is all normal.
We try to consume everything, all the time.
Even though our brains haven’t evolved to multitask or absorb multitudes of info in a short period of time, we jam pack it with useless junk everyday.
How many tabs do you have open in your browser right now as you’re reading this?
Are you actively using all of them?
Are you trying to conform because everyone else seems to have a lot of tabs open?
Have you been programmed into believing that you need to consume 20+ tabs of content all at the same time?
I believe the key is to retreat from society.
There’s society everywhere, on your phone, with your friends, coworkers, in the media, etc.
Everyone’s trying to get everyone else’s attention in order to program them into buying what they are selling.
You need to be relentless in saying no to society.
How? By turning off all notifications on your phone (or at minimum set it so you only receive notifications once every few hours), by saying no to coffee meetings with people who take more than they give, by befriending people who can add exponential value to your life, by single tasking everything and closing those extra tabs in order to remain focused on one thing at a time, and most importantly, by not buying useless shit online.
This list can be endless.
The key is to recognize when you are overstimulating your brain and work towards actively focussing on one task at a time and by deflecting every distraction that society throws at you.
Now it’s your turn, make a list of how society impacts your world on a daily basis.
Prioritize a few and cut everything else out.
Eventually, you’ll realize that your monkey brain will eventually shut down. This will be your first step in rejecting overstimulation.
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