1. REduce clutter in your home
A cluttered room means more things for your brain to process when you look around the room. The more minimalist a room, the more spaciousness you feel. It take effort to keep things tidy and organised, but it’s worth it for the emotional spaciousness it provides. Less is more. Be intentional with your possessions and what you have on display.
2. Unsubscribe (and not just delete)emails that don’t add value
Most of us are on mailing lists than we didn’t even know we subscribed to or have outgrown. We are all guilty of simply pressing “delete” week after week only to find ourselves continuing to delete emails from the same person or organisation time and time again. It takes effort to unsubscribe but it means that you will receive less emails over time.
3. Spend some time in nature every day (grounding)
Nature grounds us, absorbs our tension, and makes us feel calmer and more rested. The expansiveness of nature allows us to emotionally exhale. Spend some time in a park, the beach, or your favourite strip of nature, ideally daily. After all, nature is where as belong. We evolved to live, work and play outdoors in nature.
4. Switch off external noise for part of the day
There was a time when I was always listening to something, be it kids, the TV, a podcast, a friend, or music. My brain was working overtime trying to process all of the information all day long with no break. Even thought I was listening to, and revelling in, things that I loved, my brain had literally NO BREAK all day.
We need the spaciousness of hearing nothing to process our thoughts and to cultivate creativity. Even though it might be tempting to turn on the radio, or listen to a podcast or a favourite playlist when driving, I spend some time intentionally listening to nothing (other than my thoughts) and being in the present moment when driving my car. At first it felt weird, but I have grown to love the snippet of peace it provides.
5. Spend some time in stillness (from do-ing to be-ing)
We are human be-ings not human do-ings, yet we are all guilty of racing around like headless chooks all day long diligently getting through our never-ending to-do lists. Constant productivity, striving and achievement have become marks of success in the Western world at the cost of our emotional, physical and mental health.
Whilst there is nothing wrong per se with achieving your goals and pursuing your dreams, one can still do so (and arguably more efficiently) when balancing out the ‘doing’ with some ‘being’.
Whether it’s a few rounds of intentional breathing, 5 minutes of meditation, a 20 minute practice of yoda nidra, relaxing in a warm bath, simply lying down, or enjoying a cup of tea in the sun… try to punctuate your day with some “being” time.
Love soulla xx
