Okay, so I'm a bit addicted to talk shows. These days, they're all about "finding balance" in your life. Right. We are stressed, overwhelmed, and slowly sacrificing our sanity in the attempt to be in ten different places at once. And unless you've hired a stunt double, who really has the time to find balance? But when you think about it, that seems to be the problem that a lot of us face. We just don't have enough TIME.
There is a three-word solution to this conundrum: simplify, simplify, simplify. In fact, the professionals even have a name for it: voluntary simplicity. All this really means is to try to downsize your life. Of course, this has a different meaning for each person. You might need to de-clutter your house, cut back on your hours at work, schedule in more "me time", or give it all up completely to live happily ever after on a farm.
Voluntary simplicity does NOT mean that you have to relinquish all of your prized possessions or live a life of total seclusion. Rather than emphasizing deprivation, its mission statement is to help you slow down and cut down on your stress level by re-connecting with the most important person in your life: yourself. And the results are in-voluntary simplicity is said to help alleviate insomnia, anxiety, muscle pain, and improve our overall health.
Here are some more ideas about how to incorporate voluntary simplicity in your life-
Throw away the cell phone. Well, fine, or you can just turn it off when you want to relax. Avoid information overload. This means limit the time spent in front of the computer and TV. Prioritize your activities. Make a list of the things that you usually do on a given day and ditch the ones that aren't necessary. Don't try to be superwoman. Ask for help and delegate chores, both at home and at the office. Organize your desk and get rid of useless papers. Trust me, you will feel a huge weight lifted off your shoulders after you do this. Avoid exposing yourself to toxic people and relationships. Rather, nurture the ones that give you the support and the love that you need and deserve. Create quiet time in your life.Make dinner time a time to slow down, prepare food from scratch, and enjoy dinner at the table with your family (or simply yourself) without TV or distractions.Take up gardening or some other mindful outdoor practice. Even growing a pot of tomatoes on your balcony can be life changing.
Remember, nobody is perfect or has a perfect life. Ask yourself what's really important to you and try to incorporate more of these good things into your life while weeding out the bad. When in doubt-simplify!
