What Asia Taught Me About Surviving a Materialistic World

For as long as I can remember, I’ve noticed a big contrast between the Western world and Asia. Since travelling through Asia, it has become even clearer to me. In the West, we are often taught that “bigger is better” and that success is measured by how much you own. In Asia, I’ve experienced something very different.

Don’t get me wrong and I know money helps, and I know what it’s like to face hardship. As a single parent of four children, I truly understand how hard it can be when you have responsibilities, commitments, and very little left at the end of the month. I have empathy for anyone in that position.

But even when times were tough, I never believed that having the biggest or the best of everything would bring happiness. From a young age I knew that money doesn’t buy love. That truth shaped my teens and my choices as an adult.

Living Simply in Asia

Since living in Asia, I’ve discovered the beauty of simplicity. My home here is just one small room my living room, dining space, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom all in footsteps of each other. And do you know something? It’s been the most amazing experience.

It’s compact, comfortable, and has everything I need. My housework takes less than an hour, even for a deep clean. Life feels lighter, easier, freer.

In the West, you can be made to feel like a failure if you don’t own your own home, or if your home isn’t big enough. But here, smaller and simpler living is normal. It’s affordable, practical, and surprisingly joyful.

Meanwhile, in the UK, affordable housing is becoming harder and harder to find. Rents are rising, new builds are priced far beyond what many can reach, and everyday costs food, bills, essentials keep climbing. So where does it end? And how do we survive in a society that is increasingly materialistic?

Here are 10 ways I believe can help.

10 Tips to Survive a Materialistic World

1. Redefine success.

Stop measuring your worth by possessions or status. Ask yourself: what does success mean to me personally?

2. Live by your needs, not society’s wants.

Identify what you truly need to live well, and let go of what doesn’t serve you.

3. Simplify your space.

A smaller, decluttered home often brings more peace than a large, overwhelming one.

4. Practise gratitude daily.

Shift your focus from what you lack to what you already have. Gratitude changes everything.

5. Learn from other cultures.

Be open to different ways of living. Asia taught me that comfort and joy don’t require “more.”

6. Put boundaries around consumerism.

Unfollow accounts or avoid spaces that make you compare your life to others.

7. Budget with values in mind.

Spend in line with your priorities on what nourishes your life, not what empties it.

8. Choose experiences over possessions.

Memories last longer than material things. Travel, connection, and learning enrich the soul.

9. Recognise the hidden costs of “keeping up.”

Big houses and flashy items often come with debt, stress, and pressure. Ask yourself: is it worth it?

10. Invest in yourself.

Personal growth, education, and wellbeing will always bring more fulfilment than the latest trend.

Living simply in Asia has shown me that life doesn’t have to be about chasing “more.” In fact, less can be liberating. By stepping away from the pressure to keep up, I’ve discovered comfort, peace, and freedom.

You don’t have to wait until life forces change on you. You can choose simplicity now and in doing so, discover just how light, joyful, and fulfilling life can be.