Why are People still Depressed after having ‘Having it all’ ?

If we talk about urban life, people have every facility at their doorstep. Whatever they need is just a click away.  But still there are some people who are dissatisfied with thier lives.  Despite owning all the necessities and  luxuries,  people remain dissatisfied. Talking about the several reasons why people develop depression even if they got it all, we’ll get a lot and that gives us a clear cut idea that human mind never settles at a single point. It keeps changing constantly and thus affects our lives.

Increasing demands – The most obvious reason is that demand for materialistic things is always on a rise and it has no end. If we take technology as an example, people want new gadgets as soon as they are launched either in excitement of fear of missing out on the latest technology. Being in touch with the latest  technology is not a bad decision but craving for it just to satisfy the greedy soul, is not good. Demands should be genuine and the things you really need should be on your priority list.

Ambition – Nowadays, we are more conscious about their careers mainly for the recognition. They have their own ambitions but getting obsessive about their ambition creates stress. This is because success is not permanent and failures are a part of our lives. We should accept failure in life and take it as a challenge and not make it a reason for our downfalls. If we gets too obsessed about our ambitions,  we won’t be able to perform well at our workplace, as it can have a negative impact on our behaviour and mind.

Comparison – One of the Biggest problems of a competitive life is constant comparison with others. Comparison prevails everywhere, be it workplace or educational institutions. We make our lives miserable by over thinking about the fact that  a random person has a better life than ours. Its a possibility that you would have something  which ‘that’ random person doesn’t have. Just because she owns a private jet doesn’t mean she is the happiest person. If she has no one to travel with in the jet, what’s the use of such luxury ?

High expectations – In family, friendships or in relationships, we always get love, care and trust. But the main problem arises when we start expecting a lot from sometimes those expectations are not fulfilled. Firstly, we should not expect too much  and secondly,  if any expectation is not fulfilled, we should be strong enough to face the consequences and not make the situation worse by being upset or stressed about it.

 Living in fantasies – Everyone has their own little bubble. Some call it ‘lala’ land and some think it’s reality.  We all dream but  not all dreams can be turned into a reality. We compare the reality of life with the our fantasies and get irritated. Fulfilling dreams is important but we should think with a calm mind  and chalk out ideas through which our dreams can be fulfilled. Sometimes, it is mature if we limit our fantasies to practical situations or if one is too passionate, one should work towards it and not crib about it .

Lack of interest (in job or studies) – Despite having high salaried jobs, people remain unhappy because with time, they start loosing interest in their jobs. The monotonous work routine makes life dull which affects our minds even more. But not everyone  can switch to pursuing  their  hobbies because of family responsibilities.

Societal Interferences – We all constitute a society and it is inseparable.  Pressure from the society and the peers make us change our decisions. Society interferes with our decisions and  sometimes,  some wishes are left unfulfilled resulting in  dissatisfaction and depression. It is important that we leave behind what the society thinks and live a life we have dreamt of. After a couple of years, one thing which you shouldn’t have is regret.

Lack of Patience – In this fast paced life, patience level is going down by the day. We have no time to wait for anything . Everyone wants their work done first and get their demands fulfilled. This creates nuisance in one’s personal as well as professional life. We should understand that certain things take time and patience is the key. Nothing comes easy and patience just adds strength to our mind and gives us the courage to fight harder.

Everything depends on our perception about the problem and how we solve it. We should be satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient enough for survival. Stop thinking about those worldly things which others posses and you don’t because if you do so then you will loose the opportunity to love and enjoy your present which is a bliss. G.K. Chesterton has rightly said,

There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other one is to desire less.

Taking inspiration from his words, if we focus on accumulating more and more , we will still feel unsatisfied and depressed because our desires will also increase despite having all luxuries of life. If we focus on those needs which are really important and which are real necessities of life then fulfilling those demands would be easier for us and it would not lead to distress. Thus follow the idea to ‘desire less’ and be happy.