Written by: Alexis Lenihan, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you genuinely feel a sense of peace and calm on a regular basis? Or does it seem like
feelings of anxiety and stress in nearly all aspects of life have become the status quo?
If you answered yes to the latter, you are not alone. Most people are not able to enjoy feelings of calmness and peace on a regular basis.
Everyone feels the stresses of life from time to time. But with effective habits, feelings of
constant anxiety can become a thing of the past.
Having a higher degree of control over yourself is the best solution. Listen, you might have some control over your environment, but you can’t control others. Your own response is the only thing completely under your control.
Want to experience a more peaceful life now? Try adopting these 6 habits to take back your day and your peace of mind:
1. Create renewal rituals.
It is usually not one thing that spins our anxiety and stress out of control.
Stress is cumulative.
It adds up, bit by bit, slowly over time until we snap ‒ at our partners, our kids, the dog ‒ over a seemingly small inconvenience or a minor setback.
Building in renewal rituals THROUGHOUT your day allows you to continuously reset your stress-o-meter.
This does not have to take a lot of time. Scheduling 5-minute breaks at the top of every hour to close your eyes, take a deep breath, move your body, and experience a quick but impactful mental and physical reset. Having dedicated times during the day where you step outside and get some fresh air can do wonders.
Think about what small activity helps you to refresh and clear your mind, and then make it a point to schedule this time (multiple times) throughout your day. EVERY DAY.
2. Notice how you respond to stress.
When you’re faced with a stressful situation, take note of your behavior.
Do you feel overwhelmed by stress?
Do you overeat?
Do you work to eliminate the stress?
Do you find some way to distract yourself to avoid the situation?
Once you identify your typical stress response, you can create healthier responses and replace any unhealthy ones with something more peaceful and productive.
3. Don’t take it personally.
Many of us are quick to make things personal. We tend to put ourselves smack dab in the center of negative events and situations.
For example, if your employee doesn’t follow your instructions, do you assume they’re being defiant and disrespectful? If your partner isn’t affectionate for a day, do you assume they don’t care about you?
The truth is that most of the time it’s not about you at all. Everyone has their own issues to deal with. The odds are excellent that you’re not the cause of someone else’s mood or behavior.
4. Practice gratitude.
Everyone has things in their life that are worthy of gratitude.
What are you grateful for?
When things seem the most challenging, it’s a perfect time to list off the things for which you are the most grateful. This is one of the best habits anyone can create.
Instead of being annoyed that you have to do laundry AGAIN this week be grateful that you have clean water to do said laundry.
Instead of cringing at the idea of ‘what’s for dinner?’ ‒ be grateful that you have so many options to choose from.
Instead of fighting with your partner about yet another trivial thing ‒ be grateful that you have someone who loves you in your life.
Life can change in an instant. Don’t wait until you lose something to be grateful you had it in the first place.
5. Only do one thing at a time.
Attempting to multi-task is stressful. And it has been proven over and over to be highly unproductive. Rapidly switching back and forth between multiple tasks is mentally exhausting and results in a lower quality of work.
If you are responding to emails, just respond to emails.
If you are playing with your kids, JUST play with your kids.
Focus 100% of your attention on one task at a time and you will find that you are not only able to complete individual tasks quicker but they will be done better as well.
6. Minimize the noise in your life.
Audible sounds, visual clutter, and the other extra items in your life that you really have no need for all clutter up your mind as well as your environment. Having too much stuff in your life will make you miserable. Keep the most important items and get rid of the rest.
Clean out your office. Donate clothes that no longer fit. Unfollow social media accounts that make you feel icky. Get rid of useless furniture that ‘you’ve had forever but really serves no purpose. Embrace empty corners and open rooms. Our external environment has an incredible impact on our internal environment how we feel mentally and physically. Declutter your space, declutter your mind.
Developing these habits will bring more peace, joy, and calm into your life. There’s a
tremendous benefit to reducing daily stress and consciously setting yourself up for success each day. You will be healthier, happier, and enjoy your life more. Try a few of these habits on for size and then add more as the initial ones become ingrained. Your current stress challenges are largely a habit. Take control and create habits that serve you well.
Alexis Lenihan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
As a Certified High-Performance Coach, Alexis and her team transform their clients from playing small to showing up and playing BIG in every major life arena. They are dedicated to helping people achieve heightened and sustained levels of performance while maintaining optimum health, well-being, and connection.
Trained and certified by the High-Performance Institute, Alexis is a leading authority on the habits and practices of High Performers and shares her ideas on major and minor media to inspire others to take action in their own lives.
She is the COO of Goal Set Coach, a Business Professor, and a busy mom of two young boys! She knows firsthand how life can feel like a juggling act but and is committed to helping you find a beautiful balance so that the life you live is by design, not by reaction.
