29 Habits To Start For A Simple Stress-Free Life
If you’re looking to create a simple life with fewer distractions, you’re in the right place!
There are many habits you can start today that can bring more peace into your life…
Letting go of old negative habits can be hard, but one of the best ways to overcome them is to practice good habits and replace them!
In this post, we’ll go over 29 Habits to start for a simple, stress-free life!
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- 5 Ways To Declutter Your Life & Embrace Simple Living
- How To Create A Simple Morning Routine For A Happy Life
29 Habits To Start For A Simple Stress-Free Life
1. Get Out Into Nature
This one is obvious, but in today’s world, it’s important to make time outside…
This can be peaceful walks around the neighborhood, going to the park, or sitting out in your backyard.
Taking time to embrace nature instead of watching TV can give your eyes a break from your screens and allow you to spend meaningful time with your spouse and family.
2. Start Reading More
Reading is fantastic for your mind and is the equivalent of lifting weights for your muscles.
Reading is the perfect counter to doom-scrolling and other common entertainment that dulls the mind if overconsumed.
Grabbing a good book can keep your cognitive function sharp and increase your concentration/attention while also reducing your stress levels!
In today’s world, where our attention is threatened by smartphones, apps, and social media, books are an amazing tool to take hold of your mind and find relaxing ways to enjoy entertainment and keep your life simple!
Listening to your books can be a great way to be entertained and complete tasks around the house!
3. Head to Bed Earlier
Heading to bed earlier can be difficult if you’re body clock has been trained to stay up later and later…
Even though you may lose some relaxation time in the evening, getting to bed earlier can help you feel rested and in a great mood the next day!
Along with enhanced mood, getting proper sleep can help with your hormones and influence your food cravings.
More sleep can help you make better diet choices and whereas less sleep makes you crave junk food.
4. Wake Up Earlier
Waking up earlier can be a cheat code if you can do it successfully!
Easier said than done, of course…
Waking up earlier can give you more time for:
- Productivity
- Exercise
- Stretching
- Reading
- Planning for the day
- Responding to emails
Whatever you choose to do early in the morning, it can be a peaceful way to get your day started and allow you to get your most important tasks done right away!
5. Create a Productive Morning Routine
Creating a productive morning routine is the key to accomplishing goals and gives you more time for essential tasks!
Instead of getting frustrated with different tasks that you keep putting off due to “no time,” etc., consider getting these tasks done in the morning.
One of the best ways to implement your morning routine is to create a short workout that you can do each morning.
Oftentimes, if we aren’t disciplined, working out later in the day can get increasingly hard if we’re tired and have other family responsibilities.
However, if you’re able to work out in the morning, you’ve already started your day, completing one of the hardest things to stay consistent with.
This will boost your confidence and help you live a healthier, more productive life overall!
6. Set Achievable Goals For The Year
Setting goals is essential to growth and improving your life!
Set SMART goals and ensure you’re creating goals that aren’t out of reach but also challenge you to make positive change in your life.
Here’s how SMART goals are defined:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
Make sure your goals fit into this framework and you’ll be successful!
7. Make Time To Stretch
Stretching is great for keeping your body loose and active!
In today’s society, a lot of our time is spent sitting, and it’s important that we don’t allow our mobility to be hindered by this…
Learn the importance of stretching and give it a try today!
8. Get Moving and Exercise
This is a must for healthy, balanced living!
Exercise doesn’t need to be 30 minutes at the gym or tons of miles walked…
You can create a simple workout schedule and work out for just 10-15 minutes!
Find the best times to exercise and work your sessions into your schedule.
9. Add More Natural Foods Into Your Diet
As we get older, our metabolism slows down big time…
With more information coming out about our gut health and its connection to our mood, it’s more important than ever to make an effort to minimize the junk foods and sodas that are consumed regularly.
One of the easiest ways to improve your diet is to buy more fruits that you enjoy. This will make it easy to eat fruits as a snack and use for smoothies if you’re craving a sweet drink.
10. Declutter Your Wardrobe
Decluttering your wardrobe is one of the best ways to get started with simple living!
You visit your closet daily, and if this area is unorganized and full of clothes you never wear, it could be causing you more time in the morning to get dressed and causing extra stress due to the cluttered environment.
11. Declutter Your Home
Decluttering your home is a no-brainer for living a simple, stress-free life!
When you start to simplify your home and organize, you realize that it feels so much better to be clutter-free.
When you have clutter in your living spaces, your life becomes more burdened because you spend more time decluttering, cleaning, and feeling anxious/overwhelmed.
If you’re looking for a quick guide to declutter your home room by room, check out our decluttering checklist action plan!
12. Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute
We’ve all dealt with procrastination to some degree in our lives…
However, if it’s something that still bothers you and rears its ugly head, it may be adding more unneeded stress and worry to your life!
Give these productivity tips a try and end your procrastination habit!
13. Work on Hobbies You Enjoy
When you want to destress, what could be better than spending time doing something you love!
If you currently don’t have a hobby, here are some ideas:
- Learning an instrument
- Gardening
- Reading
- Cooking
- Hiking
- Journaling
- Photography
- Drawing
- Painting
- Pottery
14. Manage Your Finances Properly
Learning to budget and manage your finances can help you to gain more freedom and relieve the stress related to personal and family finances!
If you have trouble overspending or live paycheck to paycheck every month, it’s time to start learning more about your personal finances and controlling your habits!
This will allow you to save more money and spend it on family vacations and amazing experiences!
15. Plan Out Your Days, Weeks, Months In Advance
Planning out your days can be an effective way to stay on top of your schedule and live with intention!
Even if you aren’t the planning type, planning can help you organize your life and streamline your daily activities!
16. Unplug From Your Electronics
Taking time away from your electronics is essential to regaining peace of mind!
Our electronics have become a constant addiction and control most of our lives. At work, at home on our phones, our TVs…
It’s hard to escape screens throughout the day!
Take time to remove yourself from your devices and find other activities that don’t involve screens to regain your attention and ability to focus!
17. Lower Your Monthly Spending
Lowering your monthly spending and cutting costs is an excellent way to reduce your monthly bills!
Find subscriptions you never use, and overall, take note of what you spend each month.
Ask yourself if you could do without some of these extra services and remove them if it’s a “yes!”
18. Take Time Away From Social Media
Most things are good in moderation, but social media especially must not be overused.
Whether it’s doom scrolling or spending hours watching short videos, this can’t harm your ability to focus and give your mind symptoms similar to withdrawal.
Unplug from social media and learn more about the impact it has on your mental health!
19. Listen to Peaceful Music
Music can evoke tons of positive feelings depending on the type of genres you enjoy!
Listen to music you love or pick out some relaxing spa music…
Combining this with a relaxing bath or another relaxing activity can help you unwind!
20. Take Time to Call Your Loved Ones
No matter how busy we get in life, it’s important to keep our loved ones we don’t see on our minds.
It’s easy to let time pass if you have a lot going on in your life, but you never know how a call can cheer up your family or loved one’s day!
21. Travel More If You Can
If you love travel and have the time and money, go for it!
Experiences will stay with you way longer than any type of physical possessions…
Travel light and learn how to pack like a minimalist!
22. Try New Activities
Just like trying new hobbies, trying new activities with family can be a great way to get out of your comfort zone!
Who knows, you may enjoy something you never thought of…
Here are some examples:
- Going to a concert (or a Band you’ve never seen)
- Go to a theme park
- Learning a new language
- Hosting a game night
- Comedy show
- Arts and crafts
23. Try New Recipes
If you love food and the idea of trying something new, give some new recipes a try and find a new favorite meal!
24. Learn a New Skill
Learning a new skill can be one of the most rewarding things you can do!
If you’re a lifelong learner, try out some new and learn something today!
25. Start Saying “No” More
Take control of your time and learn to say “no” more.
When most people hear the advice to say “no” more, they may think its a bad thing…However, it’s more about saying “no” to things that don’t fall in line with what you want out of life and things that don’t align with your goals.
For example, saying no to friends who want you to drink at a bar when you no longer want to drink and scheduled time to practice an instrument or have date night with your spouse.
Saying “no” in this case would be beneficial because you’re choosing to be intentional with your time and remove negative habits from your life.
26. Start to Live With Intention
Just like choosing to live a simple lifestyle, living with intention helps you make clear goals about your life and what you want to accomplish!
When you start to live with intention, you start to make more conscious decisions, which can lead to a happier and more peaceful life.
27. Create a Gratitude Journal
Creating a gratitude journal can greatly increase your mood and enhance your outlook on life!
When you take a new perspective on your life situations, you can come to be more grateful and thus reduce the amount of low feelings you may have…
28. Name Five Things You’re Thankful For Each Morning
If you’re not a fan of journaling, waking up and naming things and people you’re thankful for can impact your morning like you never would have thought!
Instead of waking up stressed and full of worry, starting off the day with gratitude can completely overhaul your morning mood and create a positive foundation for the rest of your day.
29. Embrace a Positive Mindset
The best thing you can do, along with these tips, is to embrace positivity in all aspects.
Embracing optimism and hope can bring peace into your life even in the lowest of times. The thought, hope, and belief in a better future can help you take action and create a positive outcome.
Instead of getting low when things go wrong, embrace gratitude and think of the positive outcomes or possibilities when you feel troubled.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways you can live a simple, stress-free life…
Use these ideas as inspiration and find a way to simplify and create the life you love!
