3367: Slow Down and Enjoy the Simple Life by Clare Devlin with NoSidebar on How to Reduce Stress

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[00:00:27] This is Optimal Living Daily. Slow Down and Enjoy the Simple Life by Clare Devlin with NoSidebar.com. And I'm Justin Malik. Now let's jump right into today's post as we optimize your life. Slow Down and Enjoy the Simple Life by Clare Devlin with NoSidebar.com.

[00:00:51] Quote,

[00:00:52] I have a feeling that we are in such a hurry that we do not even have time to look at one another and smile. Mother Teresa.

[00:01:02] Some of the most popular articles on NoSidebar are the ones that have to do with decluttering areas of the home.

[00:01:08] But there are aspects beyond the physical things that can be decluttered throughout the day in order to foster simplicity.

[00:01:15] Do you feel rushed, hurried, or stressed throughout the day?

[00:01:19] By making conscious decisions to slow down and declutter aspects of the day, your day-to-day can become more simple.

[00:01:26] So begin the habit of creating more space throughout the day and see how it can work wonders to simplify life.

[00:01:34] Here are five areas where you can create more space in the next 24 hours to help yourself slow down and make the day less stressful.

[00:01:43] Number one, get more sleep.

[00:01:46] Sleep is so wonderful and it can alleviate so much unnecessary stress and tiredness.

[00:01:51] And you probably need more sleep than you think you do.

[00:01:55] The recommended hours of sleep for adults is between seven and a half to nine hours.

[00:02:00] And the recommendation for children has recently increased.

[00:02:03] The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that, quote,

[00:02:07] adequate sleep duration for age on a regular basis leads to improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, emotional regulation, quality of life, and mental and physical health, end quote.

[00:02:21] Making sure we have time for proper sleep each night will help us be more rested, patient, and clear-minded during the day.

[00:02:31] Number two, leave a time buffer in the schedule.

[00:02:35] Sometimes a day can become jam-packed full, leaving no breathing room.

[00:02:40] Even on a busy day, we can be intentional about moving a bit more slowly.

[00:02:45] Find some ways to slow down the schedule.

[00:02:47] If you know that a hectic day is ahead, it can be nice to schedule in a time buffer.

[00:02:53] While moving from one thing to the next, make sure there is time in between, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or whatever you need,

[00:03:00] in order to avoid scheduling things too tightly.

[00:03:04] Something might take longer than you think it will.

[00:03:06] If it's with kids, it will almost definitely take longer.

[00:03:10] Giving yourself a buffer of time between might help alleviate stress of the unexpected traffic jam, bad weather, or needing more time to get ready.

[00:03:20] Number three, have meaningful conversations.

[00:03:24] Be aware of small talk and see if it might be keeping you from speaking openly with someone you love.

[00:03:30] We can spend a lot of time with someone and exchange many words, and yet never truly know their heart.

[00:03:36] Ask the questions that allow you to learn about someone else.

[00:03:41] Tell the people around you that you love them.

[00:03:44] Talk about things that matter and share new ideas.

[00:03:47] You'll feel more fulfilled and might cut some time-wasting conversation out of your day.

[00:03:52] Think about these guidelines when speaking about yourself for someone else.

[00:03:57] Number one, is it necessary?

[00:03:59] Number two, is it true?

[00:04:01] And number three, is it edifying?

[00:04:03] If the answer is no to any of those, perhaps rethink what you were about to say and redirect the conversation to be more constructive and uplifting.

[00:04:13] Number four, making time for generosity.

[00:04:18] Generosity can make life more simple, and it will make you feel better too.

[00:04:22] We really do receive when we choose to give to others.

[00:04:25] Removing the excess in your life often results in having more time to share, whether that is your money, talents, or time.

[00:04:33] Did you run into someone who was having a bad day?

[00:04:35] If you schedule the buffer, maybe have five minutes to talk to them and offer a smile.

[00:04:41] When you ask, how are you?

[00:04:42] Are you ready to listen attentively to the answer, even if it's for a few minutes?

[00:04:48] Maybe slowing down today could lead to offering comfort, reassurance, more gentle advice to someone who needs it.

[00:04:56] And number five, taking care of yourself.

[00:05:00] I think this one goes hand in hand with generosity.

[00:05:03] If we make sure to take care of ourselves, it really can help us take care of others by making us able to give more fully and attentively.

[00:05:10] We also need to understand our own hearts in order to better love other people.

[00:05:15] The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this is a key.

[00:05:20] The simple fact that our hearts need to change if we want our lives on the outside to change.

[00:05:25] When we know our own hearts, we can give more generously to the people in our lives.

[00:05:31] Plus, in order to take care of yourself, there might be a need to re-examine the schedule, activities, or relationships,

[00:05:38] and be more intentional about what you let into the day.

[00:05:42] Slow down, make some space, and see how your day becomes more simple.

[00:05:51] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:05:54] Slow Down and Enjoy the Simple Life by Claire Devlin with nosidebar.com.

[00:05:59] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:06:02] Thank you to Claire, a guest writer on No Sidebar.

[00:06:04] I completely agree with number two.

[00:06:07] I pride myself on being punctual, but I don't like being too early because I don't like to wait around too much.

[00:06:13] My friends say my timing is impeccable.

[00:06:16] And my secret is what she said in number two.

[00:06:19] Leaving a time buffer in.

[00:06:21] Because everything always takes a little bit longer than we expect,

[00:06:25] especially when multiple tasks are involved.

[00:06:27] When there are few things to do,

[00:06:29] our brains have to take time to switch from one task to another.

[00:06:33] And that can take a few seconds or several minutes,

[00:06:38] depending on the complexity of the tasks.

[00:06:40] That's also why it's best to work on one thing for as long as you can.

[00:06:44] Because if we're constantly switching between,

[00:06:47] like checking email, checking social media,

[00:06:50] doing data entry, writing something,

[00:06:54] a ton of time is going to get sucked up just getting our brains ready

[00:06:57] and in the right mode for the current task at hand.

[00:07:01] But I find even if we're not switching tasks,

[00:07:04] things always take a bit longer.

[00:07:05] So adding that extra padding makes everything run a bit smoother.

[00:07:10] So maybe try that out for yourself today.

[00:07:12] Hopefully it does lead to more enjoyment of the simple life.

[00:07:15] But I'll leave it there for now.

[00:07:17] Thank you for sticking around until the end

[00:07:19] and coming back to listen every day

[00:07:20] and enjoying the simple life with me.

[00:07:23] Wishing you a great start to your weekend

[00:07:24] and I'll see you tomorrow and over the weekend

[00:07:27] where your optimal life awaits.