8 Things I Am Doing to Break Up with “Busy” and Simplify Life This Summer + VIDEO {Minimalism | Stress Management | Productivity}

Ready to Break Up with “Busy” and Simplify Life? Simplicity can enhance your life and give it more meaning. Here are 8 Things I Am Doing to Break Free of “Busy” and You Can Do Too to Simplify Life This Summer!

You can find more mindfulness guidance, healthy recipes, lifestyle tips and more on my YouTube Channel!

Have you ever wondered how you can simplify life? Like many of us, I am often tempted to squeeze in more and more, striving to be more “productive.” But the more I practice mindfulness and meditation, the more I have come to realize the power of simplicity and adding more ease into life. When you simplify life it not only increases your life satisfaction and happiness but can also bring you back in touch with the things you value the most.

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There is a good reason minimalism and simplifying has become so popular. When you simplify life, it is less stressful and more fulfilling. Embracing simplicity helps you to add things and experiences that have lasting meaning.

8 Ways to Break Up with “Busy” and Simplify Life to Reconnect With What Matters the Most!

Summer is naturally a time that many of us are more relaxed and take a bit more time to slow down and savor experiences and people in our lives. Here are 8 things I am committing to this summer that can simplify life to help you reconnect with the things that matter the most!

#1 Say No

Your ability to establish appropriate boundaries depends on your relationship with yourself and your own core values. Practice saying “No thank you” to invitations that don’t add to your life in a meaningful way. Creating boundaries on your time and energy is one of the most powerful ways to simplify life to start connecting to your priorities more deeply. Learning to say no does not make you selfish. In fact, when you say no to that which is not in alignment with your true purpose and passions you are saying yes to your deeper commitments and purpose.

• To explore the concept of boundaries and saying no in more detail, check out the exercises in Chapter 3 of The Whole Cure: Beyond Boundaries of Limited Thinking and Perfectionism

#2 Turn Off Notifications 

The constant ding on your phone keeps your mind in a state of arousal and distraction that takes away from productivity and focus.  When you are inundated with constant interruptions and alerts from your devices it jolts your stress hormones into action and trains your brain to be in a nearly constant state of stress and fear by establishing a stress-fear memory pathway and contributes to an addictive compulsion to social media.

• Switch off your push notifications and instead set a time to dedicate to check them when it works for you, instead of demand. 

#3 Sit Down and Unplug During Your Meals

Having the ability to slow down, pause, and remain calm in the present moment can allow you to decrease stress, better recognize hunger signals, and eliminate out-of-control binge eating as well as overall anxiety. Mindful eating involves taking time to pay attention to the smell, taste, temperature, and texture of the food which can add to satisfaction, balance, and more intuitive eating.

Take a mindful approach to mealtimes by giving your mind and body the break they need to be truly nourished.

• Sit down and enjoy your food without distractions. Avoid multitasking when eating. Turn off the television, computer, and phone to simply focus on the act of eating and enjoying your food.

#4 Declutter Your Desk

Clutter in your physical space can impact your ability to think clearly and stay focused. Instead of feeling the need to give away all your possessions and commit to being a minimalist 100% right away, start with small steps to less clutter. Removing clutter and distraction allows your mind to focus better and opens up more space for creativity and new opportunities. 

• Clear your desk of clutter. Get rid of any nonessentials and narrow down to what you truly need and use. Consider storing things digitally to remove sticky notes, receipts and paperwork.

#5 Stop Multitasking

When you put your efforts toward one single task at a time you are more focused, less stressed and able to accomplish what you need to do more quickly. Start making a conscious effort to do one thing at a time and do it will your full attention.

• Prioritize your day and life by taking an intentional approach with this free exercise from The Whole Cure Lifestyle Transformation Program: Mind Module!

#6 Learn to Do Nothing

Downtime is one of the hardest challenges for me, but also one of the most needed and revitalizing ways to simplify life. The art of doing nothing involves being okay with focused presence and no distractions, not needing to constantly fill your time and be stimulated by outside entertainment.

• Even if you can’t take a full day to disconnect, try adding in 10 minutes each day to sit quietly without distractions and allow yourself to simply be present. You may find it easier to start by taking time to focus on a simple guided meditation like this one. When you are ready to disconnect further, find a quiet place to be alone and turn off all distractions like your phone, computer and tv. Close your eyes and do nothing but breathe quietly in stillness. 

#7 Reduce Negativity

Excessive negativity can lead to insecurity, anxiety and depression and drain your time and energy. You have the ability to choose and adjust your conscious thoughts and actions. You can practice counteracting the tendency to jump to the negative by taking time to explicitly remind yourself of the positive aspects of your life.  

• Use this exercise to start realizing that reacting with negativity is not going to change what has already happened but that you have the power to choose how to act moving forward. 

#8 Choose Nature Over a Screen

Focusing too much time and attention on social media, screentime, television and other forms of technology can distract you from your values and impact your attitude in subtle but pervasive ways. To simplify life, I recently got rid of my television and find it helps me more mindfully choose what and when to watch. 

• Rather than automatically turning to media when you get home from work or when you are bored, take time to disconnect with technology and reconnect with nature and yourself. Head outside and take a walk, get some fresh air and feel the sunshine or wind on your skin. Pay attention to what is happening in the world around you and notice the little details of nature that are constantly shifting.

How do you want to enjoy your summer?

Are you ready to break up with busy? Which of these steps would you like to try to simplify life this summer?

Find more summer inspiration here:

• Quotes to motivate your summer
• Your mindful summer reading list
• Sun exposure Dos & Don’ts
• Avoid a meltdown and stay cool this summer

Mindfulness education and practice is a big part of the Simple Pure Whole Solution! Here are a few resources that can support your mindfulness practice during times of uncertainty, anxiety, fear and calm:

Mindfulness Resources for Self-Healing:
      

• Download your free chapters and wellness prescriptions now and get started incorporating a more mindful approach into your life and building resiliency. You can also get your copy of The Whole Cure in paperback or Kindle edition from Amazon.
• My Mindfulness Resources for Crisis and Self-Healing Package provides you with professionally-designed worksheets, handouts and workbooks for creating habits and practicing tools that support optimal stress management, resilience and coping with difficulty.
• Guided meditations and relaxation exercises from my Breathe CD.

Mindfulness Resources for Health Care Practitioners:

 

• If you are a health coach or other health care professional,  I heard from many of you requesting done-for-you content and tools for easy-to-incorporate mindfulness practices that you could use with your clients and patients. To address this need, I want to offer my Done-for-You Package of Mindfulness Resources for Crisis and Calm which provides professional mindfulness resources for coaching and sharing self-healing tools and practices to empower you to teach others how to disconnect from panic, fear and anxiety and build inner peace.
• My newest done-for-you workshop package Rest, Restore & Rejuvenate to Mindfully Manage Stress is the perfect way to offer support for stressful times and everyday optimal health. You can use this completely done-for-you workshop package with your clients or for a virtual teleworkshop or series of sessions. You get everything done for you, from a complete word-for-word script to handouts for your clients to a guided exercise to a complete instruction guide so you are ready to confidently share this guidance with people right away. 

I would love to have you in my Insider’s Community! Join for free and receive your FREE Chapters from The Whole Cure: 52 Essential Prescriptions to Overcome Overwhelm, Reclaim Balance and Reconnect with a Life You Love! You can pick up a full paperback or Kindle copy on Amazon (affiliate link) for a wealth of insights, exercises and complete toolkit to help you uncover your true passions, authentic purpose and calm confidence as well! 

  

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