How to live
A Free Life
18 Habits for a Stress-Free Life | Intentional Living + Self Care
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today's video is all about habits to
de-stress your life whether it's from
work or school or the clutter that we're
dealing with demands family life it's
really tough sometimes to achieve the
balance that we want and we may find
ourselves feeling stressed out I have
gone through different phases of life
that have been a lot more stressful and
from going through that it's really
taught me a lot of things that I can do
in actions that I can take to help me
live a much more simple and intentional
life without struggling from stress and
I want to share 18 of these strategies
with you today in the video I'm hopeful
you'll find a few new habits or ideas
that you can add into your daily life to
help you live much more simply and
stress-free the first habit to de-stress
is to clear the physical clutter in your
environment perhaps you've heard the
same cluttered space or cluttered
surface cluttered mind if we've got a
lot of physical clutter in our space it
can lead us to feel stressed out so if
there are any surfaces that you could
tidy up and keep clean it's going to
help ensure more peace of mind now if
you've got a lot of decluttering to do
it doesn't mean you have to rush into
decluttering every single thing but
start with some easier surfaces such as
a coffee table or kitchen table a
kitchen counter and focus on gradually
opening some of these spaces up so they
are clutter free and very peaceful to
look at
my second strategy to de-stress has been
so crucial to me since I first learned
about it back when I was working one of
my jobs in college and it's an essential
mindset and the mindset is if you're
dealing with something very stressful
but there's nothing that you can
actually do about it
imagine yourself putting it into a
bubble and blowing it away
it might seem sort of silly upfront but
if you really visualize yourself kind of
taking that problem taking that stress
putting it in a bubble and blown it away
the wind just carries it away and it's
not something that you need to deal with
it especially helps you realize that
after a certain point things are no
longer in your control so if there are
heavy things you're dealing with or
struggling with that are causing stress
this could be a good option habit number
three is practicing good hygiene now
this doesn't mean you have to indulge in
fancy spa products or have to
necessarily quote-unquote treat yourself
to be able to practice this self-care
but really having a mindful experience
while you're showering or taking a bath
well you're using your everyday products
just really prevent your mind from
racing ahead and try to be in the moment
as you practice this hygiene
habit number four is to read and likely
read an actual book our devices are
amazing and there's certainly a lot of
things that you can read on your device
but there's also a lot of other
distractors and things that can elevate
our stress levels but if we allow
ourselves to sit back with a actual book
and kind of take it slow and immerse
ourselves in the words on the page it
can help us feel a lot more calm as well
as could lead to a lot of enjoyment
depending on what you're reading related
to that strategy habit number five is to
unplug it's no secret many of us live
very digital lives or very connected
lives and while it doesn't have to be
anything drastic taking some moments to
unplug can really help
I often find myself spending more than
10 hours a day on my computer and that's
a lot of time spent plugged in so I make
sure I take mindful breaks where I am
not connected to any device and I am
just being in the moment and that can
help keep stress levels low
perhaps one activity you can do while
you're unplugged is number six which is
a brain dump if you ever feel like your
mind is just swirling with ideas and
you're struggling to keep track of
everything I love taking a chance to
just release anything that's on my mind
on paper it can very much be
stream-of-consciousness style you don't
need a fancy notebook or anything to do
this just any sort of paper even scratch
paper but the power of getting that all
out of your head and on to you know the
surface can be so helpful since I often
feel like I have so many ideas racing
around my head I find it helpful to keep
paper and a pen on my nightstand so if I
have these ideas and they're preventing
me from falling asleep I can write them
down and not worry about will I forget
this or what will happen if I don't take
action on this habit number seven to
help prevent stress is to nourish your
body and of course there's so many
different ways of eating and so many
different diets out there but finding
what feels genuinely good to you not
necessarily what feels the best to your
taste buds all the time but finding
foods that make you feel the best this
also includes liquid like making sure
you're drinking enough water
finding these sort of wholesome meals
and snacks are going to help you feel
much better and more in control than if
you were to have chips or sweets or
other more snacking foods which are
definitely delicious but are not going
to lead you to feel very good afterwards
habit number eight is to prepare slow
food certainly there are many benefits
to things like meal prep where you are
making large quantities of food in a
pretty quick manner and packing that up
so you don't have to cook later on and I
know cooking for some can be kind of a
chore but there's also something
incredibly therapeutic about the cooking
process whether it's chopping vegetables
or sauteing something the different
smells and aromas and the journey that
cooking a meal can take for me cooking
leads to a lot of enjoyment and really
thinking about the love and care and
time and effort that can go into every
step along the process of making a
really nice dish and then being able to
perhaps share it with others can be a
really fulfilling way to really be in
the moment and can also help reduce our
stress levels habit number nine is to
use sound or silence this one kind of
depends on your preference there's
definitely many different healing sounds
and beautiful sounds that can be calming
to listen to simple searches on YouTube
even can give you some suggestions such
as stress relieving music or calming
music but silence can also be a powerful
tool if we often find ourselves
listening to music or being around many
different sounds perhaps taking some
intentional time for quiet and not
needing to be you know entertained is a
way that we can really calm down
really focus on whatever it is that we
wish to habit number 10 is to get
outside nature is certainly vast and
powerful and I know anytime that I'm not
feeling great if I do spend some time
outside even if the weather is not great
and I can just go out for a few moments
it makes me feel so much better and it
also reminds me just kind of how small I
am and how small my problems or
stressors are in the big picture and I
just am in awe of the power of nature
and this world we live in and
remembering that does actually calm me
down as well as breathing in the fresh
air getting some Sun that can also help
us feel very calm and takes us out of
maybe the bubble that sometimes were
trapped in if it's a bubble if it's an
intense time at work or whatever else is
is happening habit number 11 is to
stretch or exercise exercise has so many
benefits and even if it's something
small there's some small way you can
move your body that's going to also help
you feel better
and you might even be able to combine
this with being outside hands down one
of my favorite things is to go for a
walk with my husband Jake and it's
simple it's definitely not the most
cardiovascular task I could be doing but
it feels good it's a way for us to
connect and we get to be outside
enjoying the day and it's something that
I really look forward to every day if
there's something you can do even if
it's just some simple stretches around
your space moving your body can again
help you relieve that stress and get out
of that funk that you might be in
strategy number 12 is to focus on a
big-picture perspective ask yourself
in the big scheme of things or when I'm
100 years old will this experience
actually matter does this task actually
matter in the big picture is this
something that's life or death when we
really question it from that big picture
mindset or that big picture mentality
many of our everyday stressors don't
actually matter
maybe we're concerned about meeting a
deadline maybe we're concerned about
something that is a short-term issue
most likely it will all work out
life will go on and we will move on or
will grow from these experiences and
we'll make it through sometimes just
knowing this can help us even thinking
about our own persistence how we've
accomplished so much already and if we
have accomplished so much already of
course we can face this challenge of
course we can accomplish this strategy
number thirteen is to practice positive
affirmations unfortunately sometimes our
self-talk can be pretty negative many of
us insult ourselves and do not speak
highly of ourselves to ourselves but
would you speak to another person the
same way you speak to yourself would you
tell them that they're ugly or that
they're worthless or they're not good
enough chances aren't you wouldn't
because you're not a terrible person so
why do you say those hurtful things to
yourself let's shift our self-talk into
much more positive statements you are
good enough you are beautiful you are
talented you are loved and lovable if we
remember these positive affirmations it
will also allow you to get through these
stressful situations even more habit
number 14 is to create art now there's
definitely many different types of art
and perhaps
the creation process can often be
stressful but if there are simple ways
that are mindless but also can be
mindful and very calming methods of art
that we can get a lot of enjoyment out
of without having to necessarily put too
much effort into the actual creation
process that can be very helpful in
relieving stress and actually to kind of
combine these last two strategies one of
my friends and fellow youtubers Stuart
Carter he runs the channel simply
mindfulness he actually put together a
really cool coloring book with some
life-affirming meditations for mindful
coloring and I do find that using these
and coloring in some of these different
affirmation images that he has is a
really powerful process and and actually
as soon as I discovered that he had made
this I asked him if he could make a
digital version since it was originally
just in print and he said he could I
will put the link below if you're
interested in checking it out but he was
so kind to also give a discount code if
you'd like to get two dollars off the
book itself but I find this to be a
really soothing process you don't have
to be talented at art or have fancy art
supplies to be able to get some of the
benefits of this habit number 15 to
reduce stress is to talk to people or
connect with others there is a Swedish
proverb that I really like that says
shared joy is double joy shared sorrow
is half a sorrow although sometimes we
might want to keep certain things to
ourselves sharing our struggles or our
victories with others can help us feel
better and really reduce the pain that
we're experiencing so many times we
think we might not be able to share
struggles with others but that can be
exactly what helps us feel a lot better
being vulnerable to share our situation
or our story with others I think you can
actually give us a lot of strength and
it helps you take power back over
whatever your struggle is
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habit number sixteen to help reduce
stress can be to use sense such as with
a candle or essential oil I know
personally I do typically choose
essential oils I'm not as much of a
candle person but I think it's very
similar having a really calming or
relaxing scent such as using lavender or
eucalyptus for instance for essential
oils it can create a really healthy
atmosphere for you and your home and
make your home feel more like a refuge
habit number 17 is to say notice
something if possible or even cancel one
of your commitments it's very easy to be
in a culture where we say yes to too
much or we are worried that we're going
to upset someone else but if we don't
take care of ourselves and if we are
feeling the burden of that there's no
shame and saying you know what enough is
enough I can't do it and I'm going to
say yes to myself when we say yes to
something we say no to something else
when we say no to something we're saying
yes to something else maybe you're
saying no to that particular event or
gathering but you're saying yes to
taking care of yourself
or doing what you need to feel your best
and there's no shame in that and lastly
number eighteen is to remember what you
are grateful for in everyday life we can
be frustrated by little things but in
the midst of that pain and struggle if
we remember what we are grateful for it
immediately shifts our perspective it
helps us realize that maybe our
challenges in everyday struggles are not
really that big of a deal in the big
picture because how lucky are we to be
able to live where we do or have people
who care about us in our lives or to be
able to have a job that is meaningful
whatever the category is it will be
different for everyone but finding those
things that matter the most to you and
to remember no matter what else is going
on I'm so thankful that
and whatever it is that you're grateful
for some people might find it helpful to
jot these down maybe you keep track of a
couple every day but it really can
transform your perspective I hope these
18 habits and strategies will be helpful
for you to reduce stress over the
upcoming months if you have not already
subscribed to the channel we'd love to
have you here at abundantly minimal and
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the screen we'll see you next time bye
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