6 Steps For a Stress Free Mindset
Remember when you were a little kid; when you were just in the moment and enjoying the smallest miracles life has to offer? There were no worries, doubts, or stress at those times. There was just pure, innocent happiness.
How did we end up here, so different from those times? How can a carefree, joyful child turn into a worrying, anxious adult?
As we go through different experiences in life; as we observe society, culture, and family, we start associating the goods and the bads. We also establish patterns and belief systems to help us survive and continue living more efficiently.
While some of these patterns help us thrive, going out of the comfort zone can be very triggering for most of us. However, it’s up to us whether we let the life changes shake up the ground under our feet or not.
In the end, it is possible to live a life that is stress free and peaceful. By changing your mindset and creating more flexibility within, you will be able to let go and be in control of your emotional state easier.
1- Let go of expectations
Someone once told me that anxiety is the difference between reality and expectation. Based on the outside comparison and our wishes, we create expectations. However, the reality comes from our beliefs and patterns.
Unfortunately, often times there is a discrepancy between the two. And this difference can make us feel anxious, insecure and disappointed in ourselves.
The problem is that most of these expectations are not only unrealistic but also unattainable. Therefore, when we set expectations about things, life and situations, we almost set ourselves for failure.
How about we let go of expectations? How about we train our minds to appreciate what we have right now, at this very moment?
2- Learn that everything around you is not about you
We tend to take ourselves very seriously. When things go wrong, if someone is upset, or if things don’t turn out as we wish; we tend to take the blame. The reality is that most of the things that are happening around us are out of our control and if people get hurt because of something we say, that’s probably because of their own patterns.
Remember to remember that if someone doesn’t text back, if you weren’t invited somewhere or if someone had an attitude that day, It may be simply because they are having a bad day or they are going through something that you’re not aware of.
It is possible to live stress free by changing your mindset.
3- Clear up mind clogging “stuff”
In busy city life, most of us have a million things to do. Between the things we have to do at home, work, and the relationships we have to maintain, there is little time for ourselves.
Most of us also deal with things from the past, emotional scars, or worries about the future. Now imagine combining all. That’s what our mind deals with ALL the time!
As a result of this intense amount of thinking, calculating, planning, and processing, we feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and stressed.
This is why it’s extremely important to work on processing any past trauma, finding ways to pause the mind daily, and arranging to-do lists realistically.
4- Work on yourself daily
As a part of clearing your mind from the “stuff”, adopt a daily practice that will help with creating inner clarity and peace on a daily basis.
This is important to help process daily happenings as well as things from the past. The more you process and digest, the less you would be suppressing and clogging the mind.
Working on yourself daily can be easier than you think. Let’s start with this simple question: Can you have 10 minutes for yourself daily?
If so, you have time to do either meditation, journaling, breathing exercises, mindfulness, self-hypnosis or even taking a quick walk. Start today!
5- Rearrange your to-do list
Completing your to-do list can make you feel very accomplished. Just the same way, not completing your to-do list can make you feel like a failure. This is why it’s very important and also very simple to adjust your to-do list in a way that is attainable and realistic.
Start by assessing the most important things that have to be done on that particular day. Later, assign a priority based on your goals.
Remember, some of the things we think we “have to do”, don’t really have an urgency. It’s okay to postpone some of them to a later date when we can complete them easier.
Also, remember to be realistic about your to-do list. Don’t expect to complete everything at once -if needed, re-read the part about expectations! -. Keep in mind, that the more you can complete your to-do list, the better you will feel about yourself. Therefore, the more inner motivation you will have to do more tasks.
6- Listen to your gut
We always know what’s right or wrong for us. But somehow, we get confused and find ourselves struggling with decision making or wondering why we didn’t choose something else even though a better option was available at the time.
Often times this happens because we move away from our gut feeling and try to make rational choices. It’s important to remember that gut instinct comes from the subconscious mind mixed with survival intuition.
There will be times when listening to your gut leads to a bad decision. But even at those times, these bad decisions will get you closer to recognizing your subconscious patterns.
More often than not, if you listen to your gut, you will be making authentic choices that are unique to your being. Subconsciously, you always know the best for yourself.
So use your gut more often. Always check with that feeling. If something doesn’t feel right for an unknown reason, trust your gut. Vice versa, if something feels right even though it may not make sense at the time, go with it. Trust your gut.
Conclusion
How would it be if we could enjoy every moment, every experience, and every little thing just like when we were kids? It is possible if you train your mind the right way. These are some small steps that can potentially change your mindset if practiced regularly.
Remember, we trigger our own feelings. Therefore, we have the control to make things better or worse. Which one will you choose today?