Gratitude, Respect and the Ugly Truth About Wanting More.

When we already have more than enough

It's totally understandable why many of us turn to shopping when things start to feel overwhelming, difficult, or depressing. The “little treat” culture is definitely a thing. I had a bad day, I deserve a reward. We may feel powerless, overwhelmed by the state of the world, and just need a distraction. But here’s a truth that big business and advertising spend billions to hide: It does not really help and, in fact, may hurt us while undoubtedly hurting the planet. The truth is, we all already possess a superpower that can’t be bought or sold. The power of having enough. Whether you’re part of the 0.1% or just trying to get by, that power is real.

Why do I Shop When I am Sad?

The state of the world is so grim these days just scanning the news can trigger a panic attack. More often than not I find myself skipping it entirely. I feel totally unable to absorb another tragedy that I’m powerless to stop, or an injustice I can’t right.  I am terrified by the rate at which we are decimating our planet and so I would just rather not think about it.  While I am fairly confident  that social media is the root of all evil, when the world is on fire, I have to admit, like shopping it is a decent distraction.   

Given the choice between retail therapy or wallowing in the sadness of the state of the world, well… its an easy choice.  Easier to imagine myself with whatever the “influencer” of the moment is hawking than to be reminded we are destroying our planet at an unsustainable pace and people all over the world are suffering.   Consumption becomes a kind of escape, a momentary lift, a sense of control, a jolt of dopamine in a world that feels wildly out of control and unbearably sad.  It is a coping mechanism carefully rolled out for us by the advertising industry.   

We buy for that little high.   It’s a reward and a distraction sold to us constantly.   For a moment the scary noises fade into the background and we can focus on our new (fill in the blank).    Then boom!  The  money is spent and we are left feeling guilty, foolish or regretful and wanting something else.  The state of the world hasn’t changed or improved, people are still suffering and whatever personal problem we were trying to avoid still needs to be dealt with. This does not feel good and  part of that comes down to the fact that we are not living in alignment with our core values.

Gratitude Over Retail Therapy: A Better Way to Cope in a World on Fire

The good news is that wallowing in sadness or shopping for distraction are not our only two choices.  There is a third and arguably better one;  practicing gratitude.  When I remind myself  that I don’t actually need anything—that I already have more than enough is when I  actually feel empowered.     Not in a surface-level, “be thankful” kind of way. I mean something deeper and  heavier. A kind of gratitude that humbles me.  Every day, I’m aware of how safe I am, how free I am, how much I have—and how easily that could be different.  This reminder gives me a feeling of calm and of power.  It slows everything down in my mind and allows me to honor my personal core values.

I’m grateful I’m not a child in Gaza.I’m grateful I’m not being dragged off the street by masked men and sent to a detention center. I’m grateful I’m not waking up in a war zone, or starving, or sleeping on the sidewalk.

Intentional Living in an Overwhelmed World

Acknowledging how good we have it is one way to honor, if not actively help, those who don’t.   To me that feels like the least we can do. Not doing so isn’t a crime and doesn’t make us bad people, but it’s really not good for us either.

It’s a kind of forgetting that slowly disconnects us from what makes us most human: our empathy, our generosity, our sense of shared responsibility.  It separates us from living a life aligned to the values we hold dear.

But it only happens when we stay awake—to what we have, to what others don’t, and to the power we hold when we choose to live with intention.

Let me be clear: enjoying comfort is not a crime nor is having or wanting nice things. Guilt is useless.   But pretending we need more when we already have more than enough—that’s a moral misstep. It implies,  whether we intend it to or not, that our minor discomfort matters more than someone else’s survival.  And no matter how much we accumulate, deep down we know something about this just doesn’t feel right.

When we choose to live more intentionally—to buy less, to appreciate more—we’re not just simplifying our lives. We’re stepping out of a cycle that was never designed for our well-being. One that thrives on our distraction, our self-doubt, our emotional exhaustion. We are being manipulated every day to feel like we’re not enough, don’t have enough, and won’t be enough unless we buy the next thing. 

Alternatives to Consuming

Practical Tips to Distract us from Consuming

So a couple practical tips?  Try a gratitude journal.  Nothing too complicated, maybe just a few lines each morning about what you do have.  Grateful for my health, my home, my children.    Grateful I can make a positive impact on someone else’s life.  Give it a quick read when things seem particularly grim.  If you are not a writer just commit to 5 minutes each morning reminding yourself quietly about all that you have and all that you are grateful for.  It can change your perspective in the most valuable way.

When we stop reaching for more and realize we already have enough, that’s where we find our real power.  That’s when everything comes into focus and we can enjoy all that we already have.

We’re not turning away from the world’s pain—we’re letting it open our eyes.

And in that opening, we choose something radical: presence instead of numbness, reverence instead of reaction and enough instead of more.