Becoming a conscious consumer is a HUGE buzz topic right now. Conscious consumer is trending on Pinterest, Twitter, Google, and Instagram so its only natural to become inspired by everyone who’s making an effort to reduce their footprint, and become a happier version of themselves by taking the time to make better decisions. But what i’m interested in is to understand why they/I/we shop. This can be a repetitive thing to hear about but when you take a moment to dig into why you continue in certain patterns of behaviour you can actually come out of them, and become more lightweight in your life and mind. Baseline: It’s freaking worth it to take steps in becoming a conscious consumer, whether or not you believe only shopping second hand will help the environment.
On another note, no matter what you’re going through, or what you’ve been through in the past there are pillars of life that must be attended to. With this in mind, we can all work towards be conscious consumers when we have the right tools, guidance, and education to back us up. AND a freaking support group (more on that later) According to research we have 7 dimensions of wellness, each of them are interconnected and important to a well-rounded and balanced lifestyle. Going forward I want to focus on these and provide value driven content in as a series curated for you to develop and build a balanced life. It’s important to note as well that it’s imperative to be critical in these discussions as changing a few buying habits, and understanding why you spend so much on coffee won’t change your entire mindset and life alone.
Anyhow, I’m taking a consumer perspective towards it, as I believe our buying habits are a reflection of each dimension:
- Spiritual
- Emotional
- Intellectual
- Physical
- Social
- Environmental
- Financial
All of these have one thing in common, consumerism (at least in my take). Working on each pillar daily while always thinking about becoming a conscious consumer in the back of your head will help you build a life beyond past trauma and clutter, toward peace of mind. It sounds yawn worthy but it’s really not, I have been implementing this technique lately with small gestures and implementations like carrying a reusable coffee mug to grab a cup of Joe and it’s really helped lessen clutter and waste not only physically but mentally. Being a conscious consumer means many things, but the biggest theme is simply having less but better. Less means selectively choosing what you buy, how you curate your life, and knowing how to say no to the unnecessary.
Things to tackle (these will likely build up):
- Your closet
- Your beauty collection
- Your phone
- Your mind
- Your sustainability practices
- Your calendar
And much more
As we get older our lives become more and more complicated, we are busier than ever and we have less time to really enjoy the things we love. Living consciously at least cuts out a lot of chaos in your mental state so you can be less stressed on the daily, I know personally the less I have the better I feel. So join me in this movement and lets create a balanced lifestyle together.
