Modern life can be complicated as we are constantly bombarded with messages from social media and society that we need to work more and achieve more. We are not enough unless we have a great career, a big house, expensive cars, holidays and the list goes on and on..Suddenly one day you realise you don’t need all this stuff, you don’t need the big house, you don’t need fifty pairs of shoes and two wardrobes of clothes that are gathering dust because you don’t wear everything you own! You are constantly stressed managing everything, cleaning and tidying the house filled with stuff, giving your time to people that don’t appreciate you and shopping for things you don’t really need except that society and social media tell you that you need it because everyone else has it. It’s time to focus on you and what is important to you instead of what is important for everyone else. Life should be about quality relationships and creating more space and time to focus on yourself and doing the things you love. Instead of more stress and frustration, perhaps it’s time to create some space, simplify your life and have more time to create a lifestyle you love.
Here are my six ways to simplify your life and reduce stress:
1. Declutter your mind, simplify your thoughts
If you are constantly feeling stressed and overwhelmed, start with decluttering your mind. Schedule ten minutes every day to meditate or write your thoughts in a journal. Focus on your breath and feel gratitude for all the beautiful things that you have in your life. This can help the mind to calm and for you to be able to get back in control of a stressful situation.
Check in with yourself throughout the day, take a few minutes and notice how you are feeling. If you start feeling overwhelmed with your surroundings, stop and take a few deep breaths, have a cup of tea and continue with your daily tasks. Negative thinking can lead to overwhelm and feelings of stress, practice thinking positive thoughts to simplify your life. What you are thinking now is creating your future. If you can start being aware of what you are thinking throughout the day, you can take back control of your life.
2. Create a simple stress-free home
You might be feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff you have in your home and you might be constantly searching to find things and that takes up more time from your schedule. Decluttering is good for our mental health as having a clean and tidy home requires less time to manage and maintain. This can help to save our energy and reduce stress in our life. A home that is clutter-free feels more relaxing and welcoming for our families and friends. It can be easier for other family members to visit and help with the chores if the home is tidy and they are able to find what they need.
Look around you and get rid of items that you no longer use or that are just accumulating dust. For example: do you really need all those pots and pans and cutlery in your kitchen? Can you free the space and use it for something else?
3. Simplify your wardrobe
We make important decisions about our style and what to wear every day. We can waste a lot of time trying to decide what to wear in the morning. If you simplify your wardrobe it can be easier and quicker to choose what to wear every day. Decluttering your wardrobe can save time in the future as you will know the type of clothes that are comfortable for your style. You could build a capsule wardrobe after you get rid of clothes that are no longer suitable for your lifestyle. If an item of clothing no longer fits or is out of style and uncomfortable, it is no longer needed and is just gathering dust in your wardrobe. Start creating a wardrobe that is stylish, comfortable for your lifestyle and simple to choose your clothes quickly in the morning. This way of living can save time and reduce stress, but allows you to still look great when you have to rush out the door in the morning.
4. Simplify your schedule
If you are constantly rushing and feeling overwhelmed to complete your tasks on your TO-DO LIST then you probably have scheduled too many tasks for your day. Plan your week and prioritise your tasks. Simplify your schedule and realise that you need time for self-care and relaxation as you are human too. Decide when is your most productive time during the day, in the morning, afternoon or evening. If people call you just to chat and tell you about their plans for the weekend or any other distractions, learn to say ‘NO’ to people and situations that are stealing your precious time. Keep your schedule simple and manageable and schedule breathing space for yourself. If you are constantly stressed and exhausted it can lead to burnout and then you will need more time to recover. Simplify your schedule, less is more and you will enjoy life more if you are not dealing with the stress. If you cannot complete all your tasks on the list for the day, don’t worry, just carry them over to the following day until they are complete. Prioritise what you need to do for the week, plan your time to achieve success in your goals.
5. Cook simple meals
Everyone has to eat and cooking a meal should be fun and stress free. However, we spend a lot of time shopping for the ingredients and preparing to cook our meal. We need to think about how to simplify the process and spend less time on planning and more on cooking simple healthy meals. Once a week make a shopping list of what ingredients you will need to prepare your meals the following week. Check if you already have what you need in your kitchen pantry, fridge and freezer. Shopping online can save you time and you can have your shopping delivered at a time that’s convenient to you. Buy fresh ingredients and look at recipes that are easy to prepare and most important are good for your health. Cooking simple meals does not mean poor nutrition.
Plan your meals and even though you cook simple meals to save time, ensure that you are still getting all the necessary vitamins and nutrients in your diet.
6. Detox from toxic relationships
Learn to say ‘no’ to people and situations that are wasting your precious time! It’s okay to say ‘no’ if you don’t have the extra time to deal with a request from family or friends who are constantly asking you to do things for them. Saying ‘no’ to toxic people who are always talking about their problems may be hard at first but if you are going to simplify your life and reduce stress, saying ‘no’ needs to become a regular practice. Remember that YOUR life and YOUR time is PRIORITY, everything and everyone else is second. If you have the additional time to spend listening to family and friends talk about their problems then go ahead, but don’t feel like you are obligated. Once you start making yourself available to everyone else, you keep delaying your own tasks. People will get used to it and continue to ask for your time. Saying ‘no’ gets easier the more you practice! Set healthy boundaries as your time and life IS IMPORTANT and comes first.
Take action and simplify your life
People are constantly stressed as there is never enough time to enjoy our time and just be present. Our lives can become complicated as we live in a society that wants more and it seems we are not accepted if we don’t have the latest phone, wear clothes from brands, the latest car, a big house filled with furniture and the list goes on and on. Nowadays, people are realising that they want to simplify their life and they don’t need their lives to be complicated with all the stuff that is taking up their time. Our bodies cannot keep up with the constant demands of modern life, we want to claim back our time and live a simple life filled with memories of travel and surrounded by people we love. We are claiming back our life and we no longer need to fill our lives with stuff we don’t need, instead we want to fill our lives with happy memories and the time to do what we love.
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
-Confucius