How to Escape Materialism and Find Happiness

Co-authored by Guy Reichard

Last Updated: October 24, 2022 References

For many people escaping materialism is the best way to find happiness. Detaching yourself from materialism is not a difficult process, it just takes some dedication. This article will show you how to find happiness from the world beyond material things.

1

Stop making shopping a recreational activity.

Stop thinking of the mall as an entertainment venue. Happiness is not in things. It is within us.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Guy Reichard
Executive Life Coach
Expert Interview. 20 September 2021.} The problem with figuring the mall as an entertainment venue is that the place is shot through with the ideology of materialism. Everything there is for sale. Store owners will do almost anything to get you to buy. And advertising is everywhere. If you define yourself as a “mall shopper,” pretty soon you will feel like you haven’t done your duty unless you leave the place with a bag full of stuff you don’t need. That’s when they have you!^{[2]
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- Don’t go to the mall with friends. Go alone, and make it a business trip.
- Know exactly what you want before you go to the store, buy it, and leave the premises immediately.
- Use a 30-day list. If you decide you really want to buy something, put it on a list. Now tell yourself you cannot buy that item for 30 days. When the 30 days have passed, if you still want the item, go to the store and buy it. This waiting period can help you determine whether or not you really want or need the item.
- Remember happiness comprises two elements. One is the momentary emotion of joy, and the other is the satisfaction derived from living a meaningful life. So it is essential to work on both aspects.^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Guy Reichard
  Executive Life Coach
  Expert Interview. 20 September 2021.}

2

Buy used.

When you get the urge to buy something, try finding it used instead of new. Buying used gets you out of the mall and into another world. Thrift shops, used-clothing stores, and flea markets operate under a different market sensibility. It’s not quite anti-materialistic, but it’s certainly less materialistic than the mall sensibility.^{[4]
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United States Environmental Protection Agency
Independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices
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- Internet services such as Craigslist and E-Bay make buying used items much easier than before. The direct exchange such services provide can get you out of the cycle of extreme consumerism.
- Buying used at thrift stores and flea markets usually means you are dealing with another human being, face-to-face, instead of dealing with a faceless corporation.

3

Limit television.

Recognize that TV is dominated by the concerns of advertisers. It’s not just that a higher and higher percentage of TV content is ads, but that even non-advertising content carries the messages and materialistic ideology of advertisers. The actors who play people represented in sitcoms, for example, don’t wear clothing that they pick out themselves. They wear clothing that fits advertising demographics.
- Force yourself to shut down all TV viewing for one week as an experiment, and if you can’t handle this, shut it down for three days.
- Figure out how many hours of TV you watch per week. Then determine what you would truly miss if you cut out TV viewing altogether. Watch only the shows you would truly miss, and forget about the rest.
- Watch TV only with other people, never alone. Figuring TV as a communal activity can reduce some of its materialistic overtones as you interact with your fellow viewers instead of sitting inert and allowing yourself to be bombarded by endless ads.

4

Limit web browsing.

Unfortunately, the internet is second only to television for spreading a materialistic ideology. The prevalence of the celebrity culture, incredibility intrusive advertising, and, of course, internet shopping make it hard to avoid the rampant materialism of the internet.^{[5]
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- Even more than TV, internet use encourages self-absorption and a solitary life style. Instead of becoming a hermit, participate in real social networking—make new, non-virtual, friends—rather than participating in Facebook and Twitter.
- Cut out one internet function. Most people use the internet for more than one function. They use it to play games. They use it for getting news. Or, they use it for buying stuff. Cutting out one of these functions is easier than cutting them all out, and it can help you get a handle on your overall internet usage.

5

Become more environmentally conscious.

Thinking green is not compatible with thinking stuff, so go green! Most of the serious environmental problems facing us today—including climate change, ever expanding garbage dumps, and air pollution, to name only a few—have been caused by attempting to buy and sell natural processes.^{[6]
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- Recognize the connection between environmental degradation and a materialistic way of life. For example, buying bottled water produces millions of plastic bottles that end up bobbing up and down in rivers and lakes, not to mention the oceans.
- Make recycling your religion. If you really make recycling a way of life, you will see how foolish it is to assign value to objects based on how much they cost.^{[7]
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- Human beings are natural process too, in a sense. Going green can help you reconstitute your identity.

6

Declutter.

Go through your closets and other storage areas and start getting rid of stuff you don’t use or want anymore. Most people find it a revelation to discover how much rubbish they accumulate over a period of years. Decluttering is a gratifying process, and helps you realize how costly mindless consumerism can be. You don’t need any of this stuff! You don’t enjoy having it. But what you will enjoy is a less cluttered house or apartment.^{[8]
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7

Participate in non-material forms of entertainment.

The world provides many interesting activities that are not at all related to TV viewing or internet browsing. Try playing board games, creating art, or hiking in local wilderness areas. Try visiting relatives and other loved ones more often.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Guy Reichard
Executive Life Coach
Expert Interview. 20 September 2021.} Try volunteering with a charity.^{[10]
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- Read a book instead of a magazine. Magazines stopped making their profit from subscription fees and store purchases a long time ago. It’s all advertising now! Reading a book can provide a respite from being bombarded by magazine ads.
- Get to know your neighbors. Get to know them in the way your parents and grandparents used to know them; that is, actually spend some time with them. Have lunch with them, have dinner with them. Find out what bothers them about your neighborhood and what they really like about it. You can nurture positive emotions by practicing appreciation and gratitude.^{[11]
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  Expert Source
  
  Guy Reichard
  Executive Life Coach
  Expert Interview. 20 September 2021.}
- Attend non-professional sports events. Attending professional sports events has become so expensive as to exclude a large part of the working population, especially families. For a family of four to attend a professional baseball game, for example, you can expect to spend as much as $400.00 or more when you consider tickets, food, souvenirs, and parking. Alternatively, many communities have nearby colleges that play high-quality baseball, and attendance is usually free. The point is to enjoy the game itself, and what does the game have to do with $12.00 cups of beer. For that matter, what’s wrong with attending a Little League game and watching 12-year-olds play out of the love of participation?
- Learn that everything in life has to go once - your attachment, be it of value or emotions to an object can make it a part of your life. And concentrating on these things, you forget to live your life without concerning. Where concerned word is bounced, happiness word is erased. So, live happily and don't make any kind of greedy, emotional, or valued attachment to anything. Pursuing meaningful goals helps to improve your life and makes you happy.^{[12]
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  Expert Source
  
  Guy Reichard
  Executive Life Coach
  Expert Interview. 20 September 2021.}

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you focus on happiness?

Guy Reichard
Executive Life Coach
Guy Reichard is an Executive Life Coach and the Founder of HeartRich Coaching & Training, a professional life coaching and inner leadership training provider based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He works with people to create more meaning, purpose, well-being, and fulfillment in their lives. Guy has over 10 years of personal growth coaching and resilience training experience, helping clients enhance and transform their inner worlds, so they can be a more positive and powerful influence on those they love and lead. He is an Adler Certified Professional Coach (ACPC), and is accredited by the International Coach Federation. He earned a BA in Psychology from York University in 1997 and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from York University in 2000.

Guy Reichard

Executive Life Coach

Expert Answer

Do more activities that inspire positive emotions! This could involve spending time with loved ones, spending time in nature, playing around, being active, and/or just having fun.
Question

How can I be happy long-term?

Guy Reichard
Executive Life Coach
Guy Reichard is an Executive Life Coach and the Founder of HeartRich Coaching & Training, a professional life coaching and inner leadership training provider based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He works with people to create more meaning, purpose, well-being, and fulfillment in their lives. Guy has over 10 years of personal growth coaching and resilience training experience, helping clients enhance and transform their inner worlds, so they can be a more positive and powerful influence on those they love and lead. He is an Adler Certified Professional Coach (ACPC), and is accredited by the International Coach Federation. He earned a BA in Psychology from York University in 1997 and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from York University in 2000.

Guy Reichard

Executive Life Coach

Expert Answer

Think about what you want to achieve and accomplish in your life! Focus on who you want to be and the difference you want to make in the world. As you pursue meaningful goals, you'll end up improving your life, which will contribute to your happiness.