21 Simple Living Tips To Reduce Everyday Stress

Are you looking to simplify your life and slow down? You wouldn’t be first one to long for a much needed change in lifestyle.

More and more people are now opting to live a simple life in the hopes it will lead to a happier life.

Because of the fast-paced world we’re living in, it’s inevitable that we would suffer from stress and anxiety.

But with a few simple living tips, you can reduce your everyday stress and make life a whole lot easier.

You might also like:

• 10 Reasons a Simple Life is a Happy Life & How to Get Started
• 10 Simple Steps to Creating a Minimalist Family Home
• How Living a Simple Life in a Modern World Can Help You Find Happiness
• Simple Ways To Be Intentional With Your Time, Energy & Money
• 14 Surprising Reasons to Drive Less & Ditch the Keys
• Quick Morning Cleaning Routine: 8 Steps to Simplifying Your Day

What are the Principles of Simple Living

Simple living is all about intentionally creating a lifestyle that prioritises what matters most to you.

The goal of simple living is to reduce stress and live a life with purpose and intention.

Here are five principles of simple living that anyone can start to practice today:

Prioritise: Prioritising your values helps you focus on the things that matter most to you. Once your priorities are set, it’s easier to say no to things that don’t align with those values. This could be saying no to working overtime, attending an event you don’t want to attend, or even saying no to buying something unnecessary because it doesn’t align with your values. 

Simplify: Choosing a simple lifestyle means taking stock of what’s going on in your life and evaluating what needs to go and what can stay. This could mean getting rid of stuff in your home or unsubscribing from emails that clutter up your inbox – anything that simplifies your life should be considered.

Focus: Focusing on the present moment will help you stay focused on the task at hand and not let yourself get overwhelmed by everything going on around you. When we focus on the present moment, we’re able to appreciate all the little moments in our lives instead of worrying about what might happen next or regretting decisions we made in the past. 

Act mindfully: This means being conscious and aware of how our actions affect us and those around us. It also means being aware of how much energy we put into certain tasks and how we use our time throughout the day so that we can make sure we’re spending our time wisely and not wasting energy on tasks that don’t add any value to our lives or bring us joy. 

Embrace what you have: We live in a society where more is always better but embracing what we already have can be one of the most important steps towards achieving true happiness and contentment in our lives. Being thankful for everything we already have allows us to relax into life instead of constantly striving for more material items or experiences which often leads to dissatisfaction after a while anyway! 

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Simplifying your life: The Path to Reducing Daily Stress Levels

Stress can come from a variety of sources including work, school and relationships. It’s not always possible to eliminate all sources of stress in life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a conscious effort to reduce the amount and severity of stress that you’re exposed to on a daily basis.

One way to do this is through what’s called “simple living.” Simplifying our lives means avoiding anything that distracts us from what really matters. This could mean reducing your time on social media, curbing your impulse purchases, or cutting down on alcohol consumption.

The goal is to reduce the amount of time your mind spends dwelling on things that don’t really matter and instead focus on truly living.

The more things you have going on at once, the higher your stress levels will likely be. Anyone who has tried to juggle multiple things at once knows how hard it can be to maintain a sense of composure throughout the day.

Focus all of your energy on eliminating one thing from your life each week until you find yourself completely stripped down and free from unnecessary clutter, both mentally and physically. You’ll feel relaxed, refreshed and ready to take on anything life throws your way!

21 Simple Living Tips

1. Find simple pleasures

Find simple pleasures and do them as often as you can. It can be small things like a walk or taking the time to sit quietly for just five minutes every day, but it’s also the bigger things like getting away on vacation, or camping in the back garden with your kids. It’s the simple things that give us pleasure and help us relax no matter what may be going on in our lives.

2. Be aware of the stressors in your life

We mostly know that we are stressed when we feel tense physically, but many times stress shows up as negative thoughts about a situation rather than tension in our muscles.

If you’re concerned about how much money you have to pay bills this month it might trigger a worry in your mind about not having enough. If you have this thought often, it can contribute to a feeling of stress.

Become aware of the negative inner thoughts that stress you out and change them with simple positive statements such as ‘I am ok.’ or ‘This will work out for me.’ Replace all negative self-talk with simple positive statements and watch your stress lessen.

3. Give minimalism a try

Minimalism is the practice of eliminating any and all excess. Minimalists believe that by having less, you will be happier because there is less for your mind to worry about and therefore more time for family, friendships, hobbies etc.

A minimal life isn’t just about having less physical objects; it’s also about mindset. It’s important to surround yourself with items that make you happy or feel accomplished rather than those which just fill up physical space and weigh down on your mind, such as guilt over throwing something away or regret over buying it in the first place.

Mental clutter can be just as difficult to manage as physical clutter and they both contribute to the overall stress of our lives.

Get started with your own minimalism journey with my guide to minimalism for beginners.

4. Leave the house

The power of a little fresh air and a change in scenery cannot be overestimated. Spending quality time outside is proven to reduce stress and make people happier overall.

Take a wander through your local park, go for a stroll down the beach, or take your bike to explore some new trails.

If you work from home like me, it’s very easy to start burning out after too much time alone in front of the computer screen. A great countermeasure for that is to book a coworking space and go down there to get a change of scenery, catch up on emails or just hang out with other people.

5. Create a schedule

While it is true that the only way to truly have a balanced life is to embrace simplicity, it doesn’t mean you need to give up all your favorite activities. Rather, you will be finding a nice balance between all aspects of your life which include work, rest, play and contribution.

Creating a schedule will help you plan and prioritise your day while still providing time for relaxation. Writing down your plans as well as tasks that need to be done each day also helps reduce stress by taking away the worry of forgetting something important.

Having a schedule, doesn’t mean that you have to fill every hour of the day with something. Make sure to leave some room in your day for spontaneity and flexibility.

6. Break big tasks down into smaller ones

When there are only so many hours in the day, it’s important to get every task done efficiently – which is why breaking bigger items up onto little individual steps will help maximise efficiency.

It may take some time to compute how long each step should take (especially if this is new territory), but once it becomes second nature, then sooner than later all those large jobs won’t seem as daunting anymore

7. Exercise regularly

This acts as both mental therapy if life feels otherwise uncontrollable – which often helps better regulate stress and anxiety – as well as physical therapy that improves mood, sleep, and overall health.

Some examples of exercise that can help with stress and anxiety are walking, jogging, working out at the gym, Yoga or Pilates. Make sure you find a form you enjoy doing and you’ll more likely stick to it!

8. Keep your living space clean

A cluttered environment can be overwhelming to the senses which is why it’s important to keep things tidy. Having a clean home and organising a messy space will help fight any feelings of being overwhelmed with tasks or responsibilities.

Plus this makes for a happier home life all around – whether you’re relaxing on the couch or cooking dinner in the kitchen, when you have a clear space to live in it makes a huge difference to your stress levels.

9. Fuel your body with healthy food

Making better food choices will make you feel better both physically and emotionally (and combat chronic issues like high blood pressure). This doesn’t have to mean that you deprive yourself though; find some interesting and new recipes and get excited about tasting new dishes!

10. Keep hydrated

This is another basic simple living tip for the body – but it’s also important to remember that our brains are mostly made up of water, so staying hydrated can help combat issues like headaches or difficulty concentrating. Remember, you should be drinking 8 glasses of water every day.

11. Organise your closet

Declutter your clothes and put them into categories like “pants” or “tops,”. Then fold each category neatly so that they are easy to find when you need them. Try not to stack items on top of one another, as this will make it harder for you to reach what’s at the bottom. Hang any coats in a place where they can be easily accessed anytime.

If you feel you have too many clothes and can’t get get a hold of your wardrobe, read these articles for advice on how to declutter and organise your closet.

• How To Be Ruthless When Decluttering Clothes: An Essential Guide
• How to stop shopping online for clothes you don’t need
• What to do when you feel like you have too many clothes

12. Create a ‘To Do’ list

Create a to do list for the day, so that you know exactly what needs to be done and can see at a glance if any tasks are unfinished or need more time. Write down everything on your agenda: from big projects of laundry or dishes to smaller ones like taking out the trash, watering plants, or even sending an email!

If it’s not on your “to do” list then it may not get done, which may lead to feelings of overwhelm and stress.

13. Avoid multitasking

Don’t try to do many things at once; it’s more stressful than doing them all separately because our brains can’t concentrate well when doing multiple things simultaneously.

It is better to take care of everything in order from easiest/least difficult to hardest/most challenging first, then move onto another task with fresh energy. This will also prevent distractions while working on any given project or chore.

14. Take a breath

Take deep breaths throughout the day when you can – it will help to calm and clear your mind. When in an uncomfortable situation, try breathing deeply for a few seconds, or take three long slow breathes if needed.

15. Make time for things that make you happy

Make small changes so that your days are filled with smaller things which bring about joy.

The world is full of pain, misery and suffering and if we don’t take time out for ourselves, we’ll drown in it. By bringing more joy into our lives we can begin to be happy again as well as being able to help others around us who need love, care and attention.

Whether it be cooking comfort food from scratch, reading a self improvement book or listening to soothing music, do something every day which will bring about joy. This way, stress can be reduced as we can see that there are other ways to feel fulfilled than being busy all the time.

16. Get enough sleep

Try to have at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night so that you can wake up feeling refreshed the following morning. Simplify your evening routine and your morning routine to give yourself more time to rest.

If you struggle to fall asleep, create a regular bedtime routine that helps relax your mind. Examples of such activities include reading a book, listening to calming music, or even meditating. Avoid looking at screens in the hours leading up to sleep as the blue light can affect your natural production of melatonin.

17. Practice gratitude

Practice being grateful every day by giving thanks for all the many aspects of life that contribute to living a healthy life. Be thankful for things such as good food, shelter from the elements, education etc. which are not always considered but incredibly important nonetheless.

Acknowledge your personal achievements – no matter how small they may seem to others. It can be easy to take all these things for granted but we shouldn’t forget about them because they are an important part of our lives.

The purpose of practicing gratitude in ones life is to acknowledge the positive things that we have in our lives and to remind us about how lucky we are to even have these things.

18. Give back

Give back in whichever way feels right for you; whether this means volunteering one day per week at an organisation such as a homeless shelter, or by donating monthly to a charity which is close to your heart.

This will help relieve some of the stress caused from feeling helpless and wanting to do something about it but not knowing how.

19. Meditate daily

We may not always be able to meditate but try your best and make time when you can. Even if it doesn’t seem like something we enjoy doing at first, meditation is actually very relaxing and helps bring out feelings of peace. It just takes time to learn to clear your mind through the process.

It’s one of the oldest forms of self-help therapy and has been used for thousands of years. It’s proven great for anxiety relief, improved sleep, mood regulation, cognitive functioning, and even pain management.

20. Take a day to do nothing

Set aside at least one day every fortnight where you have no plans, absolutely nothing that has to be done. This will give you the opportunity to relax and enjoy doing whatever feels right that day.

This could be playing with your pet, watching a movie or just simply lying in bed. This will help bring clarity back into life which can be lost through all the other responsibilities we have.

21. Reduce screen time

Our smartphones have become extensions of our bodies, both in terms of their functionality and usage. This has meant we spend more time slumped over our phones than ever before: playing games, checking social media, texting friends and browsing the web. And while this is often fun, it’s also noticeably bad for us.

Research has linked excessive smartphone use with mood disorders including depression and anxiety, as well as cognitive changes like deterioration of memory formation skills.

So then – what can we do about it? And, perhaps more importantly: how can we replace our smartphone consumption with meaningful, life-affirming activity that doesn’t involve staring at a screen or reaching for our phones a million times an hour?

Use smart-device timers: either set an alarm for every thirty minutes to remind yourself to look away from your phone or sign up to a device blocking app, such as Freedom App.

This is more important than it might sound but many people find themselves spending hours scrolling through social media accounts before they’ve even realised they’re doing it. Be proactive in combating smartphone addiction.

Choose A Simpler Life

There’s no need to suffer from constant stress about what tomorrow holds, especially when we live our lives at such an alarmingly rapid pace nowadays with so many distractions vying for attention on any given moment.

A cluttered mind can lead to a cluttered lifestyle, which can leave an individual feeling stressed, frazzled, out of focus and overwhelmed.

By practising just a few of these simple living tips every day, you’ll be on your way to living a simpler lifestyle, saving yourself from unnecessary stress and allowing more time for joy and success.

Remember, life doesn’t have to be complicated in order to be fulfilling. Let go of any expectations or attachments you have… and breathe.

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