Life is simple for most kids; their daily activities involve running around imagining all sorts of magical worlds while their parents feed and look after them. But when you become an adult, the difficulties of life begin to take over, and stress begins to set in. That carefree side becomes more subdued as the worries of survival become more prominent. A lot of the time these hardships have severe effects on our daily lives, including our relationships.
Here are some steps for you to try and reduce or manage your inner chaos:
Recognize the Cause of Your Stress
Often, as stress begins to build up, we don’t pay attention to where it’s coming from. Everything starts to pile up together and eventually we feel overwhelmed which can sometimes cause us to lash out at our co-workers, our friends, our families, and our life partners. By dividing up your obligations into distinct sections, it makes it easier for your brain to understand where the stress is coming from and it can find comfort away from these categories. In other words, you need to learn how to leave your work at the office. Try not to allow your drama to affect the parts of your life that are meant to bring you a degree of peace.
Eliminate Garbage
The first part of the three Gs of managing clutter is removing the garbage from your life. Some people are unavoidable (people you work for, unpleasant family members, etc…) but others can be ignored. You must learn to cast out negative people from your life that only draw in drama and anxiety. Detach from these people as soon as possible and you’ll notice how this alone will produce a much more stress-free environment. The same should be applied for unnecessary activities and obligations that don’t serve any real purpose in your life. For example, the news is a constant source of negative information that only propagates a fear. It causes stress and worries over things that are beyond your control, so what real purpose does it serve to watch it?
Practice Gratitude
The saying “energy flows where your attention goes” is remarkably powerful. It means that whatever you choose to focus on, becomes the most prominent thing in your life. Everyone has both positive and negative things to concentrate on. The difference between a happy person and a miserable person is not a matter of circumstance, it’s about their perception. You need to learn to accept the stressful and potentially unwanted aspects of life and focus on celebrating the good things that you have. Direct your attention to the things that you have to be grateful for and your experience of life will begin to shift accordingly.
Establish Goals
Life can become particularly challenging when you don’t have some kind of direction. You can end up feeling lost and inadequate, causing you to panic. Finding something that you’re passionate about – or at least finding something that guides your path in some way – will give you a sense of fulfillment and distract you from the trivial things that are causing you distress.
If things start to get out of hand again, refocus on these steps and you’ll see how things begin to fall into place. Here’s another article that may help you to declutter your life.
