Let’s talk about how to adopt some habits to bring more peace into your busy life! It’s almost 2022 and we’re all living incredibly busy lives!
As a mom of two littles, I’m constantly craving peace. A peaceful home, quiet time, and less chaos.
I find myself constantly plagued with decision fatigue as I try to navigate the day which can leave my brain in such a fog on top of the constant hustle and bustle of working and being a mom.
This post is all about how to establish habits to bring more peace in your busy life.
1. Minimize your closet
Minimizing my closet is one of the most joyful things I’ve ever done in my life. You would think that removing most of the items in your closet would make getting dressed more complicated and more difficult, in fact, it is quite the opposite. Walking into my closet and getting dressed is now a pleasant, peaceful experience.
I have minimized my closet to about 33 items. After watching a Netflix filled called, Minimalism, I learned about a challenge called Project 333. In this challenge, I choose 33 items to wear for 3 months at a time. Finding something to wear is now like a weight off my shoulders! It’s one less thing to think about and a great example of creating more peace in your life.
To get started, I organized my clothing into four piles: love, maybe, toss, and donate.
The reason minimizing your closet is one of my habits to bring peace into your life is because you are getting rid of anything that does not suit you. If your clothing is too big, too small, or triggers you in any way – get rid of it. If you’re holding on to clothing simply for a memory, or because it’s expensive, or it was a gift, but you never actually wear it – get rid of it. If you have clothing that is in your closet just in case you might need it, get rid of it. You see where I’m going with this?
Research states that the majority of people wear 20% of their closet 80% of the time. This means we’re not actually wearing the things in our closets. The more we buy, the less we wear, and the more we clutter up our minds.
Your minimized wardrobe should consist of pieces you can easily mix and match. Peace and simplicity go hand in hand. Simplify your wardrobe to bring peace into your busy life.
Here is the book I read to get inspired my capsule wardrobe:
2. Declutter your home
Declutter improves your physical and mental health. In fact, decluttering actually releases dopamine (source)! Dopamine is a chemical associated with feelings of motivation, and pleasure. In other words, decluttering is an accomplishment that makes you feel good.
There is peace associated with removing unnecessary, useless items from your home. Studies have identified there is a correlation between clearing physical clutter and clearing up space in your mind. This means that a decluttered space leads to a peaceful mind.
The key to adopting this habit to bring more peace in your home is to keep the space decluttered. This means not adding more items to fill up the newly empty spaces.
Find a decluttering method that works for you and incorporate organization and systems to help maintain the peace.
Here is some organizational inspiration for you!
Do you need some tools for organizing? Shop this photo:
3. Leave the house
According to research from the National Human Activity Survey, we spend approximately 87% of our time indoors and 6% of our time in vehicles. In comparison, nature fosters the feeling of peacefulness we all crave in our lives. Spending time in nature reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, improves your mood, and calms us.
We are genetically programmed to find trees, plants, water! We are attracted to our natural habitat and our body craves being connected to it. The clutter and fuss of our busy lives often causes us to travel from place to place, not taking a moment to enjoy the natural peace of the outdoors.
This habit to bring more peace into your busy life requires you to reset your routine to include leaving the house.
Here are some ideas to add peace into your busy life by getting outside:
- Eat your meal outside
- Have your coffee outside
- Take a lap around the neighborhood (or go for a long walk!)
- Let the kids play outside while you watch from your front steps or porch
- Spend time in your backyard or patio
- If it’s hot outside, bring a cold drink/popsicle. If it’s cold outside, bring a warm beverage like hot chocolate or coffee
4. Turn up the beat
Music has so many benefits! It improves memory, it connects and unites us, it lowers anxiety, boosts exercise performance, and some even believe has the power to change the world.
It’s not a secret that music can transform us to a specific space and time. Music is so powerful, our babies even respond to it in the womb!
Unleash the power of music as a habit to bring more peace to your busy life. Research confirms a slower tempo can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. Instead of blasting the newest top hit, opt for music that is softer, quieter, and enhances your ability to gain focus, clarity, and peace.
Here is the most relaxing song in the world! “Weightless” by Marconi Union. There is even a 10-hour version of this song!
5. Challenge yourself
A part of living a peaceful and happy life is less about what you do and more about how you think. Our mental health is incredibly important to our state of peace.
Every single day, challenge yourself to work to create a more peaceful life. Here are some tips:
- Accept the things you can control and let go of those things you cannot. For example, I cannot control that my baby only slept for a few hours last night, but I can control the type of parent that I will be for her the next day.
- Nourish your mind and your body. There is countless research about the power of eliminating screens 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. Not only is this good to decrease your exposure to blue light, but it also allows for a clear mind. Blocking out the noise of news and social media on screens before bed has a dramatic impact on helping you gain peace in your life. Similarly, nourish your body with good, wholesome foods that your body needs for fuel.
- Set aside time for quiet. As moms, our days are absolute chaos. Whether we’re a working mom, stay-at-home mom, or homeschool mom we’re pushed and pulled in a million directions and our time is often consumed by taking care of those around us. Setting aside time for quiet is a necessary tip to create more peace in your busy life. Whether you spend that time meditating, exercising, finishing your coffee while it’s hot, or taking a hot shower alone – invest in a few minutes of quiet time alone.
5. Create systems
Now that you’ve established these habits to add more peace in your life, create systems to help maintain the peace!
Creating systems gives you simplicity and decreases anxiety because you know what to expect. It also gives you something to focus on and a clear set of goals to accomplish. Remember what we talked about in the beginning of this blog post about accomplishing a task releasing dopamine, a feel-good hormone? When your system is clicking, it feels so good and gives you a sense of peace and simplicity.
If your system stops working for you and complicates your life instead of adding peace to it, reevaluate it! There is nothing wrong with revisiting what’s working and what isn’t.
This is an amazing resource for how to successfully create a system to help maintain peace: How to Organize Your Life With Systems.
Bonus: Best Items To Bring More Peace In Your Busy Life
Best Soothing Tea
I buy this tea a few boxes at a time. It is SO good. If I’m having a particularly chaotic or anxious day, I’ve been known to have a cup of this tea during the daytime. It is so calming and relaxing that it helps me mellow out and relax. The caramel adds a smooth, sweet taste.
Best Peaceful Home Candle
Grab your rechargeable lighter and give this nontoxic candle a light! Just has the opportunity to create a peaceful and calming presence in your home, and so do smells. This candle smells warm and generates a calming and relaxing ambiance.
Peaceful Oil
Although this oil says gentle baby, it is incredible for a peaceful and calming experience for adults. The tag line for this oil should be “sleep like a baby”. The blend of scents is so calming and peaceful that you’ll want to be sure to add it to your diffuser.
5-Minute Journaling
Journaling is an incredible way to spend your quiet time. Journaling helps you reflect, process, plan, and generate peace. This simple journal prompts you to practice gratitude in a quick 5-minute format. This makes it much easier to incorporate into your busy life and add to your system.
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