Toxic materialism – 6 reasons why it makes you unhappy

The ancients were already aware The Destructive Effects of Toxic Materialism. That's what he's talking about The Myth of King Midas. He wanted everything he touched to turn into gold. God Dionysus granted his request. Did this extraordinary gift make Midas happy? On the contrary! It turned out that in the midst of wealth, he was in danger of dying of hunger and thirst, because the food and water he tried to taste were also turned into gold. However, the greatest horror gripped Midas when his daughter became a golden statuette after she touched him. So in the pursuit of gold, the king lost a loved one. Desperate - he appeased the god Dionysus, so that he would, however, take away this gift from him. The king realized that what he so desired turned out to be his curse.

This parable remains relevant even today.

Find out 6 reasons why materialism takes away happiness:

• Low and/or unstable self-esteem. Materialists constantly compare their state of possession with the more affluent. They will never be happy with themselves, because there will always be someone richer than them. It does not reassure them that they are financially secure, or that they are in a better position than 90% of people. Even such a millionaire will feel worse, because he is not a billionaire. Trying to match him, he will destroy himself and loved ones. Instead of enjoying the status already achieved and enjoying the goods he owns, he is still dissatisfied with himself. He wants more and more. His self-esteem is shaky and dependent on the momentary outcome of these comparisons.
• The materialist lives in constant fear before losing even a piece of property. There are known cases when rich people tried to commit suicide after losing part of their money, although they still had so much that they lived in luxury. This is why, as absurd as it may seem, the rich can also fall into financial emotional crises. Most often, they concern precisely the fear of loss, conflicts with the family about the attitude and management of money, or are caused by putting profits in the first place, rather than loved ones. I described this problem in more detail in the article: Emotional crises of financial origin.
• Loneliness. Materialists in pursuit of money neglect relationships. Although the rich are always surrounded by a flock of thugs, they are actually alone in the crowd. In flashes of consciousness, they know that as soon as they lose their wealth and influence, these pseudo-friends will leave them. In addition, materialists measure others and themselves by the level of wealth. They build their social and social position based on wealth. So they panic that even a slight deterioration in their status will cause a loss of so-called social attractiveness and rejection by friends.
• Materialists do not know how to build healthy relationships based on true friendship, love, selfless kindness — and these are the things that give us true happiness! They prefer to take care of their own money than others. They harm in this way not only the environment, but also themselves! True love or friendship cannot be bought at any price - and it is they who give life a deeper value and a sense of well-being.
• Hedonistic adaptation. It consists in the fact that we instantly get used to comfort. What we dreamed of soon ceases to impress us. We can see this mechanism both by observing how quickly children get bored with even the most coveted toy, and when we ourselves in a short time cease to feel the “wow effect!” Driving a better car or moving to a bigger apartment. Tips on how to reduce hedonistic adaptation can be found in the article: How to spend money to really feel happy? By setting new financial goals, we will only feel the thrill for a moment. Then Even the most precious thing will become familiar to us and again there is emptiness. It will not fill it up by buying more items. However, the risk of falling into shopaholism increases, which, like any addiction, becomes a source of serious problems. You can read more about this in the article: Impulsive shopping — how to reduce it and regain control?
• Lack of meaning in life. One of the key factors affecting happiness levels is whether we see some deeper meaning in our existence. In the pursuit of material goods, we lose the key values that make life rich and give a sense of fulfillment.

Working with clients during financial coaching, I help them build a healthy attitude towards material goodsh. Money is needed and it makes life much easier. We can do a lot of good for ourselves and others through them. However, it is necessary to maintain healthy proportions and the golden mean between caring for well-being and financial security, and gaining deeper pleasure and fulfillment. Money alone will not provide that.

Accumulating money and chasing after it does not contribute at all to maximizing happiness. Toxic materialism destroys what is most valuable. Finance should only be considered as a means to achieve higher goals, such as ensuring safety and good living conditions for oneself and loved ones, taking care of health, relaxation and self-realization.