Life sucks sometimes, let's make it better! | Clutterbug Podcast # 274

ClutterBug - Organize, Clean and Transform your Home & Life

Clutterbug

Self-improvement, Kids & Family, Education:self-improvement, Leisure:home & Garden, Leisure, Home & Garden, Education

4.8 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I’ll be happy when…” — when the house is clean, when the kids are older, when you finally get that promotion or dream kitchen — you’re not alone. Maybe you’re always chasing the next goal, the next purchase, the next big thing… but somehow, happiness still feels out of reach. In this episode, I’m getting real about something I’ve been struggling with for years: destination addiction. It’s that constant feeling of needing more to finally feel content. And spoiler alert — it’s not just a mindset issue… it’s biology. It’s what psychologists call the hedonic treadmill, and friends, I’ve been sprinting on it for most of my adult life. So today, I’m hitting pause. I’m sharing the science behind why we adapt so quickly to the good stuff, why our happiness resets to “meh,” and what we can actually do about it. If you’ve been feeling chronically dissatisfied, overwhelmed, or like you’re missing the joy in your already-amazing life — this one’s for you. Whether you’re in full hustle mode or feeling a little lost between “next big things,” this episode is your permission slip to slow down, breathe, and start appreciating the incredible life you’re living right now. ✨ In this episode, I talk about: What the “hedonic treadmill” really means — and how it keeps us stuck How society, social media, and even ADHD feed into our addiction to “more” The emotional crash that comes after a big milestone Why midlife crises aren’t what we think they are How to raise your “baseline” and feel truly content again Simple but powerful ways to practice gratitude and presence every day 💛 This isn’t about giving up on dreams. It’s about learning to love the life you’ve already built. 👇 Mentioned in this episode:Here are the articles and resources I talked about —→ What Is the Hedonic Treadmill? (PositivePsychology.com) - https://positivepsychology.com/hedonic-treadmill/→ Hedonic Treadmill – Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/hedonic-treadmill→ Understanding Dissatisfaction – Dr. Debra Campbell - https://www.drdebracampbell.com/understanding-dissatisfaction/→ 4 Steps to Letting Go of Chronic Dissatisfaction – Lynda Hoffman - https://lyndahoffman.com/4-steps-to-letting-go-of-chronic-dissatisfaction/ → Lottery Winners and Accident Victims: Is Happiness Relative? (ResearchGate) - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/22451114_Lottery_Winners_and_Accident_Victims_Is_Happiness_Relative 👇 Tell me — what’s something you’re grateful for right now? I’d love to hear. You can find more Clutterbug content here: Website: http://www.clutterbug.me YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clutterbug TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clutterbug_me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clutterbug_me/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clutterbug.Me/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Do you ever feel like you are on this treadmill of chasing happiness or destination addiction?
0:07.8	Except I'm not talking about going on cool vacations, though that could be part of it, but that
0:13.7	addiction to like what's the next big thing in my life. That's what we're going to talk about
0:19.8	in today's podcast. And I'm going to
0:21.7	show you some really helpful things that we can do to stop chasing happiness and start
0:27.2	feeling it today. Hey, Clutterbugs, welcome back to the Clutterbug podcast.
0:38.4	Today, I thought we just have a quick little chat together and talk about the treadmill I'm
0:43.0	currently on.
0:44.2	Maybe you can relate.
0:45.3	It is this need for always focusing on the next thing.
0:51.2	What's next?
0:51.9	What big thing can I accomplish?
0:56.1	And the lack of enjoyment for the current or previous accomplishment or goal. And there's actually a scientific reason
1:02.8	why we don't feel long-lasting happiness from things like this. And there's actually a term in
1:09.0	psychology called the hedonic treadmill, which was
1:13.6	something that people came up with in 1971. So this is not a new phenomenon, but I do think that
1:20.4	it's becoming a lot more, oh, just bigger. It's a bigger issue for a lot of reasons. One, social media and the pressures that we
1:30.8	feel and constantly being bombarded by marketing for, hey, this is the next great thing that you
1:39.6	need to purchase or do or be. And so we're getting a lot of messaging, which is reinforcing this natural
1:46.5	human trait. So I want to talk about that. Dive deep today. See if you can maybe relate or if you
1:52.0	see it in other people around you. And let's strategize some real solutions that we can do to
1:59.0	start feeling happier and kind of switching that part of our
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