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Are you stressed? Overworked? Feel like you’re drowning in ‘stuff’? Maybe you have a case of Affluenza…
 By Kristen Barker


What is Affluenza?
- Affluenza is defined as ‘a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more’ (De Graff, J. 2002).

- Even though Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, almost half of the richest 20% of households feel they cannot afford what they need.

- Incomes have tripled over the last 60 years, yet two thirds of Australians don’t think they have enough money to satisfy their needs (Hamilton, C. 2005).

- With people working harder and longer than ever before, less time is being spent on our relationships with family, friends, our community and natural environment.
 

The Story of Stuff
- ‘The Story of Stuff’ (http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html) by Annie Leonard is a very informative video of how all the ‘stuff’ we use is extracted, produced, distributed, consumed and disposed of.

- Did you know that only 1% of everything that is harvested, mined, processed, transported and purchased is still in use 6 months after sale?

- In the last 30 years alone, a third of the Earth’s natural resources have been consumed (‘State of the Planet’ 2008).


Here is just a small list of things you can do to ‘recover’ from Affluenza:

- Clean out unnecessary ‘stuff’: get rid of the things you don’t need by holding a garage sale, giving what you don’t sell to charity or recycling it.

- Reduce the amount you consume: assess whether you really need an item before you acquire it. Can you borrow it, or use something else to complete the same task?

- Be a conscientious consumer (http://www.cleanlife.com.au/cleantips/conscientious_consumption.html): buy second hand, repair items instead of buying new, look for non-toxic and ethical alternatives to what you normally buy, avoid shopping when you are tired, stressed, hungry or emotional. Purchase from ethical, responsible companies producing high quality, long lasting products.

- Get organised; many purchases are a result of disorganisation rather than true need.

- Learn to sew, knit and darn; craft can be a great form of therapy for a stressed individual or family. The art of reusing wool from old jumpers should be taken up with vigour, plus as an added benefit using your hands stops comfort eating!

- Community based living: get involved with your community (it’s a great source of support and security, not to mention the social aspect!), hire, borrow and share things like CD’s, books, kids toys and DVD’s instead of buying them.

-Say no to junk mail and stay away from malls; the less you see the less you'll want!

- Be energy wise (http://www.cleanlife.com.au/cleantips/green_energy.html): choose energy efficient appliances (if you really need them), turn things off at the switch, use the clothesline instead of the dryer, turn off lights.

-Compost your food scraps (http://www.cleanlife.com.au/cleantips/compost_and_save.html), start a veggie or herb garden.


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This month on the CleanLife BLOG we have features on Fair Trade Fortnight, Truly Natural Skincare from Invoke Natural Skincare (including a special offer for CleanLife readers), The Natural Instinct scandal and a whole lot more. Visit it by clicking here.

Also check out our events page for upcoming seminars on additives, the dirty side of cosmetics (and the good side too) and a mothers pamper morning. Click here for events.
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References
De Graaf, J., D. Wann, T. H. Naylor, and D. Horsey. 2002. Affluenza: the all consuming epidemic. N.p.: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Hamilton, C. 2005. Affluenza: The new illness in Australia? http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=3715 (accessed 15 April 2009).
Hamilton, C., and R. Denniss. 2005. Affluenza: when too much is never enough. Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Leonard, A. 2007. The Story of Stuff. http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html (accessed 14 April 2009).
Live Ecological. 2008. State of the Planet, 2008. http://www.liveecological.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=34 (accessed 15 April 2009).
Find out what is NEW at our directory  for everything you need for eco-friendly living.