We’re running around, jumping from one activity to another, all the while dreaming of having a moment to breathe. But what if it were possible to calm our stress? Here’s how to live a more zen and beautiful life.

1 – Stop trying to escape to relieve stress

Why are we so stressed on a daily basis? It’s because we spend so much time daydreaming about getting away, telling ourselves: “When I move away, I’ll feel better. When I find love or get divorced, then my life will be sweeter.”

In fact, we don’t realize it, but wanting to escape somewhere else won’t solve our worries.

Indeed, even if we move, even if we get divorced or find love, our sense of happiness and inner peace will always return to its current level.

Why is this? Because it’s not the situations that stress us in our day-to-day lives, but our perception of them and our thoughts about them.

In other words, if we’ve got into the habit of stressing, then we’ll continue to stress wherever we are.

That’s why it’s high time we stopped believing that going somewhere else will make us feel better, and started rolling up our sleeves to learn to focus on our current life, the present moment, and do what it takes to calm it down and become more zen, right here, right now.

This doesn’t mean stopping having goals and dreams, it just means not making our level of serenity dependent on them.

2 – Learn to do one thing at a time

Doing just one thing at a time keeps us zen, because we can concentrate on what we’re really doing.

In other words, because our thoughts are focused on a single task, we no longer feel overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, we’re not at all used to doing just one thing at a time – quite the contrary.

Indeed, our modern society spends its time making us believe that we are and should be multitaskers, and telling us to be as efficient and productive as possible.

That’s why we’re so stressed on a daily basis. So what can you do to calm your stress?

I wholeheartedly invite you to practice during specific moments in your daily life.

When you’re brushing your teeth, doing the dishes, answering an e-mail or talking on the phone, for example.

When you do these things, do only these things. And only think about those things.

In concrete terms, I wholeheartedly invite you to take the time to breathe calmly and deeply.

Listen to your breathing, and you’ll find your inner calm in an instant.

3 – Stop making a fuss about stress relief

The best way to stop stressing out is to remember that we’re not living a melodrama.

As the quote goes, “Life isn’t that bad, or that complicated.”

In fact, our stress level depends on our perception of the reality of events.

And, unfortunately, we tend to over-react to events that happen to us.

What if we stopped making a film of what’s happening to us?

To do this, when we feel we’re under stress, let’s stop for a moment and ask ourselves in a benevolent way: “Am I imagining myself in a Greek tragedy?”

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover Living in peace with others: 8 keys to harmonious relationships
Discover How to trust others: 6 steps to zen relationships

In addition, I recommend this inspiring book on the subject:

Down to Earth: A Guide to Simple Living by Rhonda Hetzel

Rhonda Hetzel narrates her personal journey and provides guidance on various aspects of simple living, including gardening, cooking, home organization and beyond. The book inspires us to reconnect with nature, appreciate life’s simple pleasures and pursue choices that reflect our values.
I’m gradually adopting these ideas into my lifestyle, because they are suited to my lifestyle and my hemisphere.
Beautifully presented too.

Thank you very much for reading this article.
If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself.