It really would be great if we could snap our fingers and have anxiety, stress, & overwhelm gone, wouldn’t it?

There were countless days that I would have given anything just to be able to take a deep breath and make the thoughts stop.

In fact, that is what drove me to study neuroscience, hypnosis and the subconscious & super conscious mind…more on that in another post.

Peacefulness seems to be at a premium these days. There is a lot more stress than calm, distractions are everywhere, and inner peace might seem like a thing of the past. The good news is that no matter your current state of being or emotional alignment, you can enjoy true inner peace and tranquility.

There are proven methods for limiting stress and anxiety while also producing a calm, peaceful spirit.

Use the following 10 tips and techniques for creating a less stressful and anxious life. And remember, this takes mindfulness, so I advise choosing ONE from the list below and implementing it and then adding to your arsenal. Sometimes when we jump head first, we have an unrealistic expectation of ourselves that we will be able to master all of them at once. And at one time you did…and you will be able to again!

But, as you re-enter the realm of conscious and deliberate self awareness & self care, one-by-one is a better set up for success.

They won’t cost you a penny and need nothing more than a positive mindset, time, and consistency to cultivate inner peace and happiness.

1 – Embrace minimalism. Get rid of things you don’t need. The more things you own and the more responsibilities you take on, the more worries and stress you have. It’s time to Declutter. Choose one space per day, set the timer on your phone for 20 minutes, and create a pile for the giveaway and a pile for keeping. I cannot tell you how good it feels to lighten your load and clear space. It’s super helpful on an energetic level too!

2 – Practice gratitude daily. You have a lot to be thankful for. Sure, you probably have areas in your life that you want to improve. On the other hand, there are things you experience and people you interact with that you are thankful for. Practice gratitude every day and you will find more peace and less stress in your life. I am big on journaling. It’s a ritual and rituals right our souls. Every morning and/or every evening, write numbers 1-5 in your journal and jot down what you are grateful for. Keep it simple. And on an off day, remember, a nice warm cup of coffee is definitely something to be grateful for!

3 – Learn to trust your intuition. One way to develop a healthier intuitive thought process is to write. You can start what we discussed above, a gratitude journal, or even keep a food journal. Maybe you want to improve your finances or get healthier by exercising more. Writing it down, and reviewing that content has been proven to promote a positive spirit. I ask that you write and not type. Science shows the act of long-hand writing is more conducive to the creative process.

4 – Discover your true purpose. Like, come on! It’s that easy, right? Hahahaha. I know this can be a big endeavor. Here is a simple way for you to get started and dive into helping you define your purpose when you are not quite sure what it is…yet.

Make a list of the things that are important to you. What to you value? What do you love? What makes you feel good? Then, write a list of the things that bring you down or cause negativity in your life. Begin becoming aware of what makes you feel good and what doesn’t. Slowly, start to say no to those things on the negative list and replace them with things on the important list. These two lists can help you discover your sense of purpose. A purpose-filled life has a lot more tranquility and peace in it than a life with no direction.

5 – Embrace the “now”. Live in the present moment. Ok, so I used to seriously hate people that would say that to me. Of course, we all would love to live in the present moment ALL.THE.TIME., but we have life to live!

It wasn’t until I hit burnout, for the second time…yes, some of us apparently need 2×4 moments to wake us up, that decided to give it a try. And what I surprisingly discovered is that it is not as ‘perfect’ as I once imagined! It was me listening to water running on my Insight Timer app for 3-10 minutes, breathing and letting thoughts come and gently asking them to go…and returning to my breath. In fact, it became such a big mechanism for my recovery that I have a whole workshop on Mindfulness for ambitious entrepreneurs, business owners, practitioners & professionals that I love teaching.

Meditation is an amazing spiritual practice that is an excellent stress reliever. In meditation and mindfulness, you recognize your present state of being and don’t focus on the past or the future. And we know, living in the moment has been linked to less stress, anxiety, and depression…and it is time for those to go.

6 – Develop routines. Put as many things in your daily life on autopilot by making them ritualistic and habitual. Routines and standard operating procedures take less brainwork than if you are constantly having to decide what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. This promotes a peaceful state of mind and takes the guesswork out of ‘what to do’, which in turn, eats up a lot of mental energy. I’m not gonna lie, developing routines that I could actually stick with was one of the hardest parts, for me, of creating a life I love. Something would always pop up, a friend or colleague would call, a load of laundry needed to be done…you name it and it was easier for me to give to others than myself. Until I spent some time unpacking my resistance to routines and what they could provide, I struggled. It wasn’t until I re-wired my subconscious limiting beliefs on success (yes! that was my hold up) did I see things radically shift for me. It’s amazing how we are always trying to protect ourselves.

7 – Avoid negative environments, situations, and people whenever you can. This may not always be possible, because you might be forced to deal with negative people at work or in some other environment BUT, Whenever you have a choice, steer clear of negativity. BOUNDARIES. BOUNDARIES. BOUNDARIES. (This is a blog post in and of itself)

8 – Embrace positivity. When you avoid negative people, why not spend that time with positive people instead? The more positive experiences you have, the less stress and anxiety you will experience. This is where quantum physics has such an amazing hold on me. The frequency in which we vibrate is up to us and it is helped along by those we choose to be around. If I told you your health, yes, your physical health, is radically altered by who you choose to be around, would you put more conscious thought around who you hang with? My hope is, Y.E.S.

9 – Get physical. The human body was created for movement, not sitting. Take a brisk walk with a friend or go for a jog. Hop on your bicycle or get out and dig in your garden. Just 2.5 hours of moderate to intense physical activity each week promotes the production of “feel good” hormones while simultaneously reducing the amount of “feel bad” chemicals in your body. It is critical to move. Your lymph needs you to move. This is the sewage system of the body and we need to move out toxins so they don’t recirculate in the blood…that puts way too much stress on your organs, esp. your liver. I know stress can make you exhausted. I completely understand. I also know that moving is sometimes the very last thing you can do, but I am here to tell you that when you think that, when you feel you can’t, that is the time to make yourself. It builds resilience and grit and I promise you, you will feel better!

10 – Eat healthy foods. Start eating more minimally processed and minimally cooked fruits and vegetables. Eat food that is as close to its natural state as possible. Kick drive-through food, highly processed food, and sugar to the dietary curb. This will improve your mental and physical health. It’ll drive down physical inflammation and help with emotional inflammation as well. It is easier to experience inner peace and happiness when you have a healthy mind and body.

If you feel called and are ready to begin cultivating inner peace in your world and are looking for a place to start, a plan and accountability, let’s talk and see how I can help https://transformwithtrish.as.me/letsconnect