Konsumindre - a book about how we regulate our emotions with shopping
Johanna Flood is a journalist who became a global environmental leader in a major corporation before resigning to figure out what she truly wanted. One of the answers became the book Konsumindre — a research‑informed exploration of why we overconsume and how we can break the cycle with stoicism.
With more than ten years of experience in sustainability strategy, Johanna has helped companies develop frameworks, targets, and action plans to reduce their negative impact on people and the planet. But when it came to individuals wanting to do the same, she noticed a gap. There were no practical tools.
Konsumindre fills a gap
The book functions as a kind of management system for humans — a sustainability plan for people who want to stop engaging in one of the middle class’s biggest drivers of environmental harm: overconsumption.
Johanna draws on ancient Stoicism, the Inner Development Goals (IDGs), and modern addiction therapy to explain why we crave, buy, and repeat — and how we can actually change.
“I love that restless, electric rush of wanting something — a soap‑bubble feeling of desire and hope for a better life. Tapping the card for something slightly too expensive. Tap. Then hours later, the feeling is gone. We forget why we bought anything at all, even as the world is burning and people are being exploited. Our shopping is like an addiction that doesn’t make us happier.”
— Johanna Flood
What the book gives you
Konsumindre offers both an eye‑opener and a set of practical tools:
A “red pill” that helps you see the consumption patterns you usually look away from
Ancient guidance from Stoic philosophy to deal with emotions and reality
The Inner Development Goals applied on a personal level
ISO‑style structures and methods adapted from corporate sustainability work
A pathway to living a more intentional and meaningful life with less consumption and more clarity
More about Konsumindre in Swedish