12 Ways to Shift Your Mindset and Want Less

Photo byViDI Studio and Shutterstock

Look, I feel you. The constant tug-of-war between wanting more stuff and knowing deep down that it won't truly make you happy. It's real. And in our culture, that means a bigger house, a faster car, the latest iPhone, name-brand shoes—you just name it. It’s too easy to get caught in that trap.

But here's the thing—buying material objects to fill an inner void never works. It's just a temporary high, and then you're left feeling empty again.

What you really crave is meaning, purpose, and connection. And no fancy new gadget can give us that. It comes from within.

So how can you break free from this cycle?

1. Get Clear With Your Goals and Purpose

Stop chasing happiness. To set effective personal goals, start by distinguishing between wants and needs.

Needs are essentials for a sustainable, healthy life, whereas wants are desires that can often lead to unnecessary accumulation.

Create a list of items or achievements that you believe are crucial to your well-being and sustainable living.

2. Practice Mindfulness and Live in the Moment

Incorporating mindfulness into your life is instrumental in curbing the constant desire for more. It equips you with the awareness to recognize impulses and respond to them with intention instead of reactiveness.

Engage fully with the present to shift your focus from what you lack to what you have. Start by:

• Bringing full attention to your current activity, whether it's eating, walking, or speaking.
• Noticing the details around you—how the air feels, the sounds you hear, the textures you touch.
• Acknowledging wandering thoughts and gently guiding yourself back to the now without judgment.

Build mindful spending habits:

1. Pause before purchasing. Ask yourself, "Do I need this, or do I want this?" and "What value will this add to my life?"
2. Track your expenses in a budget journal or app. Note down each purchase and its purpose.

3. Build the Right Relationships

You Are Who You Hang With. So, who do you keep company with the most? Do you look up to their spending habits? Are you competing with them?

To effectively manage your yearning for possessions, it’s crucial to grasp the societal forces at play and assess your personal material desires.

Dedicate time to deepen bonds with family and friends. Quality time spent with loved ones can be more rewarding than any physical object you might desire.

4. Embark on a No-Spend Challenge

Initiate a challenge where you commit to not buying anything non-essential for a set period, like a month or even a year. Document this journey through a blog or social media to keep yourself accountable and share insights from this experience.

5. Practice Digital Minimalism

Reduce exposure to digital consumerism. Unfollow shopping sites or influencers who promote constant buying on social media. Instead, fill your digital feed with content that encourages self-growth, creativity, and mindfulness.

6. Spend Time Volunteering in a Minimalist Community

If you’re not ready to take the plunge into minimalism, engage in volunteer work with communities that practice minimalism or sustainable living. Immerse yourself in the minimalist community to get a first hand view of how they live. Being around people who live joyfully with less can offer a new perspective on what is truly necessary and valuable in life.

7. Spend More Time in Nature

Embrace nature immersion therapy and regularly spend time outdoors, away from urban settings and consumer culture. Activities like hiking, camping, or even a simple walk in a park can shift your focus from material possessions to the beauty of the natural world. This practice can foster a deeper appreciation for experiences over things.

8. Declutter Your House Room-By-Room

Sort through your home and start decluttering what you don’t need.

Decluttering creates more physical space in your home, which can be incredibly liberating. This newfound space and freedom can shift your focus away from filling your home with more items. And for some, seeing the quantity of rarely used or unneeded items can be a financial eye-opener, leading to more thoughtful spending habits.

As you sort through your belongings, you may rediscover items you love but had forgotten about. This can renew your appreciation for what you already have, diminishing the urge to buy new things.

Decluttering isn’t just about creating a tidier space; it’s a transformative process that can change your relationship with material possessions and reduce the constant desire for more. As you declutter, you might discover joy in simplicity and minimalism, which can lead to a lasting change in how you view possessions and material wealth.

9. Build Self-Control

Building self-control is essential for managing your desires effectively. It involves techniques for delaying gratification and strategies for avoiding temptation that support your goals.

To strengthen your ability to delay gratification, start by setting clear, achievable goals. Break down these goals into smaller milestones and reward yourself for reaching each one, without giving in to immediate impulses.

Set a timer. Give yourself a set amount of time before acting on a desire. This could be 10 minutes, an hour, or a day.

Visualize long-term benefits. Focus on the positive outcomes of waiting, such as improved financial stability or better health.

To avoid temptation, it's important to limit exposure to the things that trigger your wants. This might entail:

• Unsubscribing from marketing emails to reduce the temptation of online shopping.
• Keeping unhealthy snacks out of the house if you're trying to eat better.

By creating an environment that supports your self-control goals, you're more likely to maintain discipline and make progress towards what you truly want.

10. Find Fulfilment Elsewhere

As you shift your focus to finding fulfillment in areas of life beyond material possessions, your desire for more stuff often decreases. Imagine immersing yourself in experiences like travel, hobbies, or learning new skills.

Learn something new, like playing an instrument or painting. The mastery of a skill provides a sense of achievement and continual growth without wanting more stuff you don’t need.

These activities provide a deeper, more lasting satisfaction than any material goods.

Fostering connections with family, friends, and your community can fulfill emotional needs, providing love, support, and a sense of belonging that physical items can't offer. And dont forget to consider the rewards of personal growth and self-improvement; achieving personal goals that often bring more fulfillment than acquiring new possessions.

11. Cultivate Gratitude

Make it a habit to reflect on the positives in your life. You might start a daily or weekly gratitude journal to list things you're thankful for.

Keep tokens or notes in places where you'll see them often, reminding you of the good things you already possess.

Take moments to be fully present and savor experiences. This could be as simple as enjoying a warm cup of coffee or the comfort of your home.

12. Embrace Simple Living

Minimalism or simple living significantly shifts your focus and values, leading to a decreased desire for material possessions.

This lifestyle emphasizes finding fulfillment in experiences, relationships, and personal growth rather than in accumulating items. It helps distinguish between genuine needs and wants, fostering a sense of contentment with what you already have.

By practicing mindful consumption, minimalism encourages thoughtful purchasing decisions and educes the impulse to acquire unnecessary things. It also simplest decision-making and teaches detachment from material goods, highlighting the value of space, freedom, and environmental consciousness.

Simple living isn’t just about having fewer possessions; it's about redefining what brings true satisfaction and joy to your life, steering focus away from the constant pursuit of material items.