When you simplify your life, you reduce the stress you feel on a daily basis. This is easier said than done when you haven’t tried it before. So I’m sharing my biggest takeaways from the past few months that have helped me make progress in reducing my stress during an incredibly stressful time in life. By simplifying your spaces, tasks, and mind, you will provide yourself with a foundation to take better care of yourself.
Embracing The Less Is More Philosophy
Many of us have lived the bulk of our lives seeking material things. We also pack our days full of activities and commitments. Many think more likes or followers on social media is a status symbol. But are those metrics really what makes life better? Are you happy? Constantly being on the go or consuming content and accumulating material things can strain our ability to actually enjoy life. The little things like being able to find joy in a conversation with a stranger, or catching that rainbow after the rainfall, can show us that slowing down can be good. Simplifying our lives also feels good.
By choosing to embrace less, you make a conscious decision to cut out the noise. You also choose to put yourself first. When you simplify life, you open the door to creativity because your mind can breathe once again. Flow is more easily achieved. When you have simplicity in your life, you make decisions more easily. You can focus better, so you tend to become more efficient as well. When you simplify, it creates a better balance in your home life and at work. When things become easier, you will also feel more satisfied.
Finding Ways To Simplify Your Life
Transitioning to less can be challenging. These are some of the ways I’ve managed to simplify my life:
Declutter
By decluttering your home, you can create a space that feels more welcoming and calms your system. By decluttering your work space, you organize your environment to be more focused and productive. Don’t limit your decluttering to your physical spaces, also consider your digital spaces. A screen full of icons can increase stress, or constantly having multiple tabs open. Consider organizing your files in a way that reduces friction.
Often material things carry weight that we may not know is tugging at us. The financial ramifications of spending habits, the work you still have to finish, the unspoken boundaries of gifts we keep, the void we are trying to fill. By choosing what to keep and toss, you make a conscious choice of what you want to be present in your life. Despite being hard to execute, the end result is a simplified lifestyle.
Act, delegate, or eliminate
Oftentimes, we become overwhelmed by the volume of things we need to get done. Usually that list can weigh heavily in our minds because we are wired to think about the pending things in our lives. Take some time to organize your thoughts and determine what you can get done quickly, what can be delegated to someone else (whether that be a friend, family member, or co-worker), or what can just be eliminated. Sometimes we just need to evaluate these things to realize you don’t need to do them all yourself.
Eat well
Simplify your food intake to prioritize natural foods and reduce, or outright eliminate, ultra-processed foods. The foods you eat dictate the type of energy and nutrients you get. In this sense, simplifying your foods means choosing what contains less chemicals and unknowns. Although preparing a meal from scratch may be more complex than throwing a container into the microwave for a few minutes, the simple ingredients of natural foods nourish your body and mind better than any other substitutes. Eating simply does not have to equate to boring. Exploring colour can boost the visual appeal of meals. If you find natural foods too bland, try experimenting with different spices and making sauces yourself to boost the flavour profile. Explore countless recipes and culinary creations from around the globe to tantalize your taste buds!
Calm your mind
Simplify your stress and find ways to calm your mind daily. When you don’t allow for a mental reset, the stress builds up in your system and leads to greater challenges, especially the longer you push yourself. It is easy to remember when you’ve pushed through physically, but when it comes to our minds, we tend to forget we need to have breaks. Try mindfulness activities or meditation. To calm your mind is to reduce the strain you experience in life.
Another way to simplify how you feel is by doing activities that are fun for you such as crafting or playing games. They help divert attention from stressful or ruminating thoughts. It also helps to create a balance of emotions by experiencing a positive sensation. By learning when to focus on distress, or compartmentalize stressors, you are simplifying your life. Constant worry is detrimental to your health.
What is one thing in your life you can simplify today?
Decluttering leads to better rest periods in the spaces you tidy up. It optimizes your reset in between periods of being out in the world. It also forces you to choose what you want to carry emotionally. Learning to prioritize and act or delegate helps you to move forward on tasks at a pace that works for you. Oftentimes we let the tasks take over, but by consciously deciding what is vital to you, you can let go of unnecessary pressures. How you take care of your nutrition is also vital for your well-being. You need to have proper nutrients. Empty calories only harm your system, even if it’s delicious. Healthy can mean visually appealing and tasty. And finally, by taking control of when you address stressors and when you will focus on your mind and feelings, you are making the ultimate commitment to simplicity. We live inside of our heads day and night, so by learning to simplify, you become an active agent on what is important for your well-being.
Simple does not mean you sacrifice beauty or excitement, minimalism is a prime example that less can be more. Try to think of ways you can start to simplify your life. How can you turn down the intensity? What can you subtract from the equation to make it more positive? For years we’ve tried to do more, acquire more, know more, and connect with more people. Now, I believe the shift is happening for less. Simplify your connections in the world to bring your system back into alignment, making it easier to be compassionate with yourself and others.
IMAGE CREDIT: Unsplash | Leo Manjarrez.