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10 Simple Ways to De-Stress and Simplify Your Life Right Now

In today’s fast-paced world, day after day there are endless tasks, goals and agendas to cross off the to-do list. All of us are under societal pressure to multi-task and operate at lightning speed. It seems the more things we can accomplish and the quicker we can accomplish them, the more there is to be accomplished.
 
We can easily get caught up in the daily grind, demand too much of ourselves, and end up getting burnt out, stressed out, and sick. We have all the tools to make life simple, but somehow life still ends up complicated and overwhelming.
 
There are tons of tips, tricks, and lifehacks floating around on the internet but the truth is if we practice simplicity in our daily lives, we won’t need to waste our time looking up “how to do five things at once” or “how to multi-task like Oprah.”
 

Here are ten simple ways to keep unnecessary chaos out of your life for less stress and more peace now:

 

1. Check-in regularly . . . with yourself

Check in with yourself often and proactively, rather than waiting until you have an anxiety attack to check on your mental and emotional state. Your level of comfort in life is important and the longer you ignore something affecting you, the more complicated things will get.
 
The more you pay attention to yourself – how you’re feeling, where your head’s at, what’s causing you stress – the more you will be able to make adjustments to ease your mind.
 
One simple way to “check in” is to stop wherever you are and take a deep breath through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Breathing intentionally takes your awareness inward so you can make sure you’re taking time for self-care.
 
Suggested Read: Calm Down! A Simple Guide to Belly Breathing
 

2. Communicate your needs

Speak with others clearly and effectively. Why do we make life more complicated by not saying what we mean? As the old saying goes, “Mean what you say and say what you mean.” There is no reason to beat around the bush. This does not mean speak to everyone harshly, but still – be direct.
 
One of the most important foundations in any relationship is communication. Through clear communication, we avoid confusion and complication.
 
If you have trouble with this, stop and think for a moment about what you really want and need. If you want your partner to take out the trash say, “Can you take out the trash please?” There’s no need to say that the trash is full or tomorrow is garbage day – that’s just beating around the bush.
 

One of the most important foundations in any relationship is communication. Through clear communication, we avoid confusion and complication.

 

3. Learn to say no.

Sometimes we think it’s easier to say yes than to say no, but in reality, is it? Think of all the times when you’ve said yes and you really wanted to say no. How did it feel? Chances are you felt some resentment around the entire situation?
 
When we don’t respect our own needs, we give up our power, energy, time, and peace of mind. Saying no when it’s necessary is saying yes to yourself and yes to simplicity.
 
When someone asks for a favor that you aren’t able to help with, you can respectfully decline. It can take time to get used to saying no, but trust yourself that it can be done and that it’s well worth the effort.
 

When we don’t respect our own needs, we give up our power, energy, time, and peace of mind. Saying no when it’s necessary is saying yes to yourself and yes to simplicity.

 

4. Learn to say yes!

On the other hand, have you ever declined an experience out of fear or stress and regretted it later? There are times when we need to say yes as well. Yes to trying something new, yes to new opportunities. There are things we all say no to in order to stay inside our comfort zone, and you know what these things are for yourself.
 
When the next opportunity arises that you are afraid to say yes to, you should most likely do it. There’s nothing worse than regretting a missed opportunity. Welcoming positive new things into your life makes it easier to deal with life’s ebbs and flows. The more you are open to new things, the more insight you have on what adds pleasure and value to your life.
 

5. Calm the monkey mind

Practicing meditation alleviates stress and allows you to go through life focused and steady. When we stay centered, we have a clear and quiet mind. The incessant chatter of the “monkey mind” is softened, or even silenced so that when things do get complicated in our outer world, our inner world stays sane. This is one of the best ways to stay stable in the midst of chaos.
 
As yogi, mystic, and author Sadhguru says, “If you learn to create the right climate in your body, mind, and emotion, your health, wellbeing and joy – everything will be taken care of.” You can practice self-care with his powerful online meditation program, Inner Engineering.
 

6. Do what feels good

Make a routine that you know makes you feel good and stick to it. Whether it’s making Sunday a meal prep day or having a morning yoga ritual that brings you joy. These little things can go a long way.
 
Setting up a structure and following through with it adds a great sense of contentment in our lives.
 
Some people wince at the sound of the word ‘routine’ (I was one of them). The truth of it is that when we build a practice around things that make us happy, we ultimately gain power and become that much more productive.
 

Setting up a structure and following through with it adds a great sense of contentment in our lives.

 

7. Ask for help

When life gets a little too overwhelming, don’t be afraid to ask for help from loved ones. If you don’t ask for help, you will not receive it! Hire someone, propose a barter, ask a friend. It will take the weight off your shoulders, so you can feel a little lighter.
 

8. Invest in a planner

Instead of using your iPhone or computer for every single thing, get a calendar or an agenda. We are more likely to remember things when we write them down, and it’s a nice way to see how you’ve been productive throughout the year or week. It is also much easier to have things mapped out so you can see what week you will be absolutely swamped (and need some help) or when you will have some free time to plan an adventure.
 

 

9. Reduce and organize

Clean out your closet, pantry, refrigerator, or anywhere else that could use some space. The less things we have, the less we have to worry about. Keeping a clean, simple space helps keep our minds clear. Declutter your space and you will declutter your mind as well.
 

10. Prioritize

When you have a to-do list, organize it by order of importance. This way if anything on the bottom of the list doesn’t get done, at least you know it was something that can wait. Sometimes we overwhelm ourselves with a ridiculous amount of tasks that leave us no time for self-care.
 
We all have those things we absolutely have to get done. Identifying the things on your to-do list that actually can wait is a simple yet very helpful way to keep your day organized and your tasks manageable.
 
 

De-Stress and Embrace All That Life Has to Offer!

Hopefully this list helps you and if it doesn’t, I can offer this last piece of advice: Ask yourself where can you simplify. There are so many ways to bring more peace and better organization to our lives. What works for some might not work for you, but it is certain that if you’re life is in complete disarray, you have easy processes to implement to help clean it up.
 

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9 Hacks to Simplify Your Life Today
Here are 9 simple steps to simplify your life, make it a little LESS COMPLICATED, and make you feel MORE IN CONTROL:
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Miranda Aponte

Miranda studied strategic design management at Parsons in New York. She fell in love with travel after studying abroad. Miranda's personal mission is to creatively exercise her passion for connecting with others and our immediate surroundings through design and travel. She has been practicing yoga since high school and loves it for the peace and deeper connection with self that it brings her.

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