Stuck in "not enough" thinking? 7 tips to shift a scarcity mindset

Mental Health

Dec 8

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

A scarcity mindset can quietly drain your wellbeing. Discover what causes it, how it impacts your mental health, and 7 tips to help you shift toward abundance.

How many times have you celebrated a friend’s accomplishment or milestone only to feel a pang of sadness about your own circumstances? When you see someone doing well, you might find yourself wishing that you had more — more money, more freedom, more confidence. The list goes on. That subtle sense of “not enough” can take root so deeply that you start to question your own choices and even your value.

Psychologists call this a scarcity mindset: a mental framework that orients your thoughts around what’s missing. It’s not about greed or ambition — it’s the quiet unease of always focusing on the negative. And while it can sometimes push you to work harder or plan better, it can also strain your mental health.

Over time, scarcity thinking heightens anxiety and dulls satisfaction. But you don’t have to live this way. Here’s everything you need to know about “not enough” thinking, including how it develops, ways it affects your wellbeing, and tips to widen your perspective so that “enough” starts to feel within reach.

What is a scarcity mindset?

A scarcity mindset is more than the sense of not having enough — it’s a mental state that changes how your brain processes the world. When you perceive a shortage, real or imagined, you channel energy toward securing what’s missing.

Psychologists Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir call this tunnel vision: Your attention locks onto what feels urgent and your choices revolve around protection. You focus on things like saving time, holding on to money, and avoiding loss, and miss moments of ease or possibility.

Scarcity isn’t just material, either — it can shape relationships and self-worth. When love or belonging feels limited, your nervous system may stay on alert for rejection or insufficiency. Eventually, that vigilance can become your default way of seeing the world.

What causes a scarcity mindset to develop?

When your sense of safety, support, or self-worth feels threatened, a scarcity mindset can begin to take hold. Here are five of the most common reasons why this pattern of thinking sets in:

Early insecurity: Growing up with limited money, attention, or affection can leave your nervous system on alert, even long after life becomes more stable.
Chronic stress: Ongoing strain from finances, burnout, or unpredictability trains your brain to focus on survival instead of satisfaction.
Cultural pressure: Societal messages about productivity and perfection can quietly teach you that your worth must be earned, and that only a few people can have enough.
Comparison and digital overload: Constant exposure to others’ highlight reels can make your stability feel like failure.
Emotional scarcity: When love or validation feels limited, you can learn to chase approval or overextend yourself to feel secure.

How does scarcity thinking impact mental and emotional wellbeing?

Scarcity thinking doesn’t just shape your mindset — it also affects how your brain functions, how you feel, and how you connect with others. Here’s a glimpse into the ripple effect that this stress response can trigger.

Cognitive strain and tunneling: When your brain perceives a shortage of things like money, time, or approval, it locks onto that problem, leaving less space for planning or creativity. This can lead to impulsive choices or procrastination, which can reinforce the feeling of being behind.

Emotional exhaustion and heightened anxiety: Living in a state of constant alert can keep your nervous system activated, increasing your anxiety and irritability and making it hard for you to rest or feel satisfied.

Lower self-esteem and self-trust: Scarcity thoughts tend to whisper, “You’re not doing enough.” Over time, this doubt can erode your confidence and make your success feel temporary or undeserved.

Strained relationships: When you’re stuck in survival mode, connection can feel risky. This can lead to guardedness, over-giving, or competition instead of trust and openness.

Reduced capacity for joy and creativity: When you’re focused on problems, there’s less room for play, imagination, and gratitude, which help foster resilience and ease.

How to shift away from a scarcity mentality: 7 ways to nurture abundance

Moving beyond scarcity thinking is about finding steadiness even when life feels uncertain. It means creating small moments of perspective and safety, no matter what. Here’s how to do it.

1. Notice scarcity thoughts with curiosity

Scarcity thinking often hides in everyday phrases like, “I’ll never catch up” or “There’s no time.” When you catch yourself thinking those things, pause for just a few seconds.

Try acknowledging the thought with a statement like, “That’s a scarcity story my brain is telling me.” This simple naming can activate the part of your brain that helps you observe instead of react.

2. Practice reality-based gratitude

Focusing on one specific thing you appreciate each day can help you push past negative thoughts.

To widen what your mind can see, consider jotting down a quick note about a kind word or a moment of calm. But if journaling feels like another task, try just pausing during your evening routine and naming one thing that helped today feel more manageable.

💙 Feeling not enough? Listen to Calm’s Magnifying Abundance meditation with Tamara Levitt.

3. Create small buffers against overwhelm

Building in mental or physical breathing room can help reduce feelings of overwhelm and restore perspective.

Schedule one short, unstructured block each week, or protect five quiet minutes before responding to emails. Brief pauses help signal to your nervous system that you’re safe enough to rest and think clearly.

4. Shift from comparison to connection

The antidote to comparison is connection. When you reach out to others instead of retreating into envy, your brain releases oxytocin, which reduces anxiety and builds trust.

The next time someone’s success stings, ask yourself, “What does this remind me I value?” Let that awareness guide your own goals.

5. Reframe goals around sufficiency

A scarcity mindset insists that only flawless outcomes count. To reframe this, try replacing “What’s the best I can do?” with “What would feel enough today?” Maybe it’s a short walk instead of a workout or sending in a draft instead of the final version.

Choosing “enough” over “perfect” builds confidence and consistency. It also teaches your brain that progress is what creates stability and trust.

6. Build emotional and practical safety nets

Knowing that support exists, even if you don’t need it right now, may help your nervous system relax and reduce scarcity-driven urgency.

Try automating bills, setting aside a modest emergency fund, or planning low-effort meals for busy weeks. You can also identify two or three people you can reach out to when your anxiety spikes.

7. Nurture an abundance mindset through mindful awareness

An abundance mindset is about trusting that possibilities exist beyond your immediate fear. To get into this frame of mind, pause throughout your day to notice what’s steady, like your breath, the ground under you, or a sound nearby.

Acts of generosity, even small ones, can also help reinforce this sense of abundance.

💙 Gratitude, a series from Tamara Levitt on the Calm app, will give you tools, insights, and inspiration to cultivate your practice.

Scarcity mindset FAQs

Can mindfulness help me get rid of a scarcity mindset?

Mindfulness can’t erase scarcity thoughts, but it can change your relationship with them. By staying present, you can learn to notice when your mind starts telling you that you’re not enough. Instead of reacting, you can observe them with gentle awareness and tell yourself that your brain is in scarcity mode.

That pause between thought and reaction gives you space to respond more calmly, and over time, scarcity can lose much of its hold.

What are the effects of scarcity thinking on wellbeing?

Scarcity thinking can quietly drain your emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing. It can keep your brain on high alert and raise your stress hormones, leaving little space for rest or creativity. Emotionally, it can fuel anxiety and self-doubt. And physically, it can lead to tension, fatigue, or poor sleep.

Relationships can also feel strained because scarcity can make connections feel risky. Eventually, this constant vigilance can then erode your self-worth and diminish your overall life satisfaction.

What are the symptoms of scarcity trauma?

Scarcity trauma isn’t a formal diagnosis, but describes the lasting impact of chronic deprivation or instability. It often looks like hypervigilance about loss, guilt when receiving help, or a constant sense of urgency, even when things are fine.

Some people cope with this trauma by over-controlling their environment, while others withdraw to avoid disappointment. At its core, it’s a nervous system that never fully feels safe, even when life becomes more stable.

Can you have a scarcity mindset about time or relationships?

Absolutely. Scarcity can show up anywhere you feel limited.

Time scarcity often looks like constant busyness, guilt around rest, or feeling perpetually behind. Relational scarcity, on the other hand, can look like fear of abandonment, overgiving to feel secure, or comparing affection and attention.

In both, the core belief is that there isn’t enough to meet your needs. But seeing these patterns with compassion helps you set boundaries, ask for support, and redefine what “enough” truly means for you.

Is a scarcity mindset the same as anxiety?

They’re related but not the same. A scarcity mindset is a pattern of focusing on what’s missing or at risk, while anxiety is your body’s response to perceived danger. That said, scarcity can fuel anxiety by keeping the mind fixed on threat.

Basically, scarcity is the lens and anxiety is the alarm that reacts through it. But both can ease with mindfulness, therapy, and grounding practices that rebuild a sense of safety and trust.

How long does it take to change a scarcity mindset?

There’s no set timeline. Changing any deep mindset takes patience and steady practice. Some people can feel small shifts within weeks of mindfulness or gratitude work, but deeper change usually takes months. Progress often depends on how long the pattern’s been present and the support you have around you.

What matters most is consistency. Small, repeated moments of awareness and compassion gradually teach your brain to see sufficiency instead of lack.

How do I overcome my scarcity mentality?

Start by naming the thoughts that appear most often, like “I’ll never have enough time” or “I’m falling behind.” Then practice small, steady shifts that challenge them. You could gratitude journal, take mindful breaks, connect with supportive people, or set goals that feel sufficient and attainable.

But if these patterns stem from deeper wounds, look into therapy to help you untangle them. Your aim should be to learn to see beyond scarcity so it no longer controls your choices or self-worth.

What if I keep slipping back into scarcity thinking?

When scarcity thoughts return, meet them with gentleness and not criticism. Simply pause, notice what might have triggered them, and use your grounding tools to steady yourself.

Remind yourself that each time you realign that you’re reinforcing the new pattern. You could think of it like a rehearsal or like an ongoing practice of returning to a more open, spacious way of thinking.

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scarcity mindset

Calm Editorial Team