Beyond Blue: Simplifying Your Life

For Lent this year, I'm simplifying my life. Seriously, I am. Here's how. To read more and comment, please click on the top Beliefnet banner to go to Beliefnet.com or go directly to 'Beyond Blue' at http://www.beliefnet.com/beyondblue.

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• Simplifying
• Stress
• Therese

[jackchorn]

Oh I'm very sorry that you have to "carve out one hour a week" this does not sound very healthy. I have suffered from ptsd for years and only recently realised, because of a very trying two years, that I'm not equiped to live a typical U.S. lifestyle. I have striped down everything in my life to the very basics. While this is very unconventional I have found that it is freedom and has removed most everything that had caused me stress. How much do we really need, what really makes you happy.

[HinckleyPaul213]

Ace again ... v v v useful n helpful

[rdleahey]

Therese, you are so special! I'm your newest fan.

[ichigorobei]

I agree with you completely -- multi-tasking is over-rated and contributes to sloppiness in the work effort. Unless you are doing two mindless activities, like watching television and removing the stringy ends from string beans, productive work that you do will suffer by trying to do them both at the same time.

[ichigorobei]

Consider:

1.You can reduce your stress by not assuming you have to do more work. You can learn to live on less by rethinking priorities.

2.15 minutes a day is a good start, an hour is better. Wake up a little earlier, go to bed a little earlier (both difficult disciplines) -- you will find more quiet time for your mind/soul.

3. Similarly, one hour a week to recharge, relax, and re-create is only a start. A longer stretch would be more effectivel--an entire Saturday morning or afternoon.

[gwalchmir]

The other problem is that one ends up having to say NO in order to find simplification in life. The judgement that has to go into that decision is the source of stress, in my opinion. Once you decide that you can no longer go to this or that meeting every week the decision is done and the stress goes away.

[gwalchmir]

Thanks for the tip about this book. I'll look into it.

One thing that my sister has trouble with, that I think goes to the heart of simplification, is that she is always trying to "multi-task" all of the time. I think this is a mistake. Concentrating on one thing at a time, even though it may sound old fashioned, is the best way to stave off that feeling of stress because you can fully address that one thing.