The pandemic meant a radical change in the lives of many people. For some it marked the beginning of their love of making sourdough bread, while others began playing sports or learned to play the ukulele. In my case, I was already doing all of that before the pandemic, so I turned to minimalism instead.
Spending week after week alone at home without direct contact with other people made me think about what was most important to me: the objects I owned. On the one hand, I was happy to have a carbon steel frying pan that I knew would last a lifetime, and that became more non-stick with use, and comfortable leather and Goretex boots that protected me from the cold when I went out to do the cooking. buys.
On the other hand, I had to look at a closet full of pants, shirts and sweaters (of which I only wore a few), too many pairs of flip-flops, and drawers overflowing with gadgets electronics, from microphones to cameras, that in a few years were obsolete and useless, but that he had accumulated after years of impulsive purchases on Amazon and Aliexpress.
In January 2021 I watched the documentary Minimalism: less is more on Netflix. Starring Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, known as The Minimalists, explains how these two friends simplify their lives and end their dependence on the accumulation of objects, ultimately feeling better about themselves.
The trend has another, more political incarnation: what in English is known as deconsumerism, which consists of reducing unnecessary consumption and at the same time questioning the current economic model based on constant buying.
Why we consume and how it affects us
“Consumerism is a clear social behavior,” explains Jesús Saiz, professor of Social Psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid. “People rarely consume because they need something, but rather because of social elements, such as social influence.”
Indeed, the isolation of the pandemic brought with it a significant drop in consumption in clothing and leisureand not only because it was not so easy to go out to consume. My dress shirts began to feel like relics from another life, after spending day after day at home in my gym clothes. “We often consume because we believe that this is how we represent our own identity, but the only thing we are doing is following patterns, social norms that allow us to feel more belonging to a certain group,” says Professor Saiz.
Embracing a more minimalist way of life is not limited to the material, it also consists of prioritizing time, experiences and human relationships; instead of accumulating clothes, furniture, nights out, binge-watching, electronics or vehicles. One of the post-pandemic consequences that has translated into a change has been my aversion to conversations on WhatsApp, I barely use it unless it is to make an appointment in person, and a new habit: eliminating clothes and possessions that I do not need. periodically, at the beginning of summer and winter.
We consume many times because we believe that this is how we represent our own identity, but the only thing we are doing is following patterns, social norms that allow us to feel more belonging to a certain group.
Jesus Saiz
— professor of Social Psychology at the UCM
The constant pressure to consume that advertising subjects us to can have certain consequences on our well-being, something that psychology experts have warned in the past. last decades and now, in the era of social networks and images, it may be more latent. “It is not healthy to have to buy more to stand out from the rest. It introduces an element of pressure and stress in people that ultimately causes psychosocial illnesses such as anxiety and depression to appear,” says psychologist Jesús Saiz.
In the same way that noise on the street distracts and irritates us, the “visual noise” of a messy room was something that was affecting my ability to concentrate. On the contrary, after cleaning, decluttering and simplifying my environment, it began to become easier for me to do so. As the American psychologist, expert in disorder, has explained Joseph Ferrariauthor of a wide study on the impact of accumulating possessions“the greater the disorder, the lower the life satisfaction. The stress is greater.”
How to start consuming less
The decision to live with less things can bring benefits almost immediately. When I started selling everything that I didn’t use or need through different applications, two things appeared in my life that were positive for me: the money made from the sale and the free space that these things left. A clearer, cleaner space also brought me a greater sense of calm. Suddenly it was easier to find things, from clothing to kitchen utensils, that had their place and weren’t buried under a mountain of other things.
In my case, the process of getting rid of unnecessary clothes and objects had a positive effect: I became a thoughtful shopper.
“We are functioning like addicts,” says Professor Saiz. “Many of our consumer behaviors are compulsive, we don’t stop to think. One of the antidotes to this is mutual support, such as consumer groups, alternative places where you don’t feel like a weirdo,” he says.
In my case, the process of getting rid of unnecessary clothes and objects had another positive effect (also on my pocketbook): I became a thoughtful shopper. Suddenly I was aware that each new possession was going to take up space, both physical and mental, breaking the harmony I had achieved after cleaning. Since then, each purchase became a project: finding the perfect object that had its purpose and place, that lasted a long time, and that gave me good feelings every time I used it.
A study conducted in the United Kingdom identified the following key elements to start ‘deconsume’ and that largely coincide with my own process:
- Limit consumption and live with the essentials:
It consists of not having anything that is not necessary. This includes avoiding impulse purchases and using existing possessions until the end of their useful life. For example, continuing to keep the same car until it is beyond repair, or mending clothes and shoes that are still in good condition. For me it was buying things of higher quality and more durable, instead of cheap and disposable, something that also encourages me to take care of them and repair them, instead of following the current culture based on throwaway.
- Consume thoughtfully and consciously:
It involves a process of reflection before making any purchase, and a long research process to ensure that what we are going to buy is the best option and responds to a real need, not desires or impulses. One of the strategies that helped me was to stop ‘shopping’, both on the street and on the Internet, and stop ‘going out shopping’, to see what I found. Instead, I tried to have a need identified earlier. Furthermore, every time I felt the desire to buy something, I stopped to think and write down why I needed that object. In many cases, I discovered that I actually didn’t want to buy it anymore.
- Ethical and sustainable consumption:
Consider the externalities of our purchases, that is, the hidden costs they have for the environment and people. This led me to buy second-hand items, support brands that produce sustainably and avoid products that contribute to waste or poor working conditions or child exploitation. Most of the fast fashion stores like Shein were thus eliminated.
Becoming more aware of the impact of my consumption, making expenses and their effects more visible, both in my checking account and the impact for the rest of society and the planet, is another of the factors that prompted me to change. More and more, I looked around me, saw the waste and meaninglessness, and tried to make others see it too. “In changing attitudes, light rain is important, sending continuous messages over time, so that they penetrate,” concludes Jesús Saiz. A task for everyone, every day.
*Darío Pescador is editor and director of the Quo magazine and author of the book your best self Posted by Oberon.
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