Eight Ways Money Can Buy You Mental Peace

5-minute read

May 14, 2023

Hi friend,

My dad always told me that money doesn’t buy happiness.

He’s right.

I’ve seen rich people who are happy, and I’ve seen rich people who don’t have great relationships. When I think of them, I think - if I had all the money in the world but not the bond that I have with my family and friends, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Sometimes it makes me think, maybe relationships are the core of our happiness.

A best friend, loving parent, and understanding partner makes life worth living, right?

However, I believe money does buy comfort. Here are eight ways how.

Comfort that can give your mental peace.

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A Mattress

One of my relatives has the most uncomfortable set of mattresses and pillows that I’ve ever experienced. I’ve slept on it on four different occasions.

The mattress is old and hard. The pillow actually has places where there’s no cotton. Waking up on it makes my body hurt because an entire night of ‘rest’ goes in discomfort.

Nothing makes you at home like your own mattress does.

We have an abnormally huge one, 10ft in width and 11ft in length because my husband and I are both tall, and he wants to spread out while sleeping. After this mattress, I’m spoilt to experience any other.

Shoes

On my own wedding day, I made a huge mistake.

I bought a beautiful pair of traditional footwear months ago. My mum told me to wear it a few times to ‘open it up.’

I didn’t.

I wore it for three hours while I was getting my make-up done and my feet became red from the sides and started hurting so badly. Luckily, I carried golden slip-ons too, which were a little blingy and can be worn at Indian weddings.

But it wasn’t my bridal footwear.

I had no choice, and that’s what I wore on my main day.

I knew the importance of comfortable sneakers, but now I know any footwear that you spend on needs to be of high quality.

Good Nightwear

I ordered a super pretty linen night suit. Indian heat is brutal, so why not? After wearing it once, the linen shrunk.

Now, it's smaller and also looks more transparent.

The entire summer comfy vibe I bought it for… yeah, that didn’t happen.

Comfortable nightwear where you’re not constantly pulling or adjusting something feels so good.

Sunscreen + Shades

I used to boast about the cost of my shades. The most expensive pair I owned were for $5 from a sale in Aldo.

I picked up funky shades from the streets of Thailand, some in Delhi, and fast-fashion brands.

In 2019, I bought my first ‘expensive’ pair for about $250. It was such a huge expense, and I thought it was only because of the brand.

Once I started wearing them, I could feel a difference straight away. The clarity is significantly better, and they feel so easy on your eyes.

About sunscreen, it doesn’t matter where you stay and what you do, a good sunscreen is a must. According to John Hopkins Medicine, it helps you

protect your skin’s appearance
prevents premature ageing
prevents sunburn
prevents cancer

Tech Setup

Simple stuff that can help you lead a smoother life today:

fast wifi
updated software
fast machines

I don’t wait for my laptop for over 5 years anymore to replace it, because a fast laptop gets work done quickly, too. It’s annoying to deal with a slow laptop and then sell it for a lower price.

I’ve also found Apple Watch to make life easy because I can quickly attend calls from the courier guy or my mom asking me a random question instead of going to my phone and then attending to texts after that.

Plants

It’s cute how they’re ‘trending’ nowadays.

Just like meditation, yoga, and mindfulness.

They look good, but they’re also good for you because of the fresh energy they bring into your house.

According to an article in Healthline, indoor plants help you

reduce your stress physiologically and mentally
may sharpen your attention according to some studies
gardening helps people suffering from depression, anxiety, and dementia
looking at greenery can help you recover faster from illness, according to a 2022 study

And there are plenty of other benefits!

Environment

Something that makes me feel comfortable is a good chair and a water bottle. Something that makes me feel complete is having a yoga mat at home.

It just adds to my environment that motivates me to show up for what's important and stay healthy.

“Motivation is overrated, environment often matters more.” ― James Clear

I’m in the process of making a home office with colours, postcards, and a bookshelf — because I know this environment will energise me.

Your environment has the power to energise you or not motivate you at all, so create it in your favour.

Comfort — Whatever It Means To You

For you, maybe comfort means:

having a place to keep your shoes as you enter your home
having a skincare routine before you sleep
collecting cute stationary and diaries
cooking food for loved ones
a huge collection of books
having funky socks
loose clothes
paintings
a pet

We can buy most of it, and be happy.

I felt weird typing in the previous section that comfort to me means having a water bottle next to me all the time, but that’s me.

That’s what makes me feel at peace.

And your definition can be entirely different.

Do you resonate with this? I’d love to know your views and learn what's something you bought recently that makes you feel comfortable, and at peace.

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