10 Lesser Known Tips for Simplifying Your Life (Part 1)

I have a strange ritual I go through when I get overwhelmed. Be it clutter, work stress, relationships, life goals, any kind of worry that starts to fill up my mind and attack my heart rate, I get out my little green notebook and I make a list. Sometimes its a step-by-step path to achieving fame and fortune or just a list of all the items in my closet that can be donated, whatever the solution, I will find a list to solve it. The part that makes this a strange ritual is that by the time I'm done the list, all stress is gone and I can close the notebook without ever looking at the list again or doing any of the actions listed. It's the ultimate in procrastination. Of course the stresses that I encounter are usually nothing but imaginary worries and thus best solved by doing nothing, so maybe it's a genius ritual after all. Anyway, with that in mind, I would like to share with you my personal and rather unique list of Tips For Slowing Down and Simplifying Your life:

1. Eat at the Table - It improves posture, it improves digestion (by miles!) and it forces you to stop for a moment and just enjoy life's simplest pleasure..food. Don't have the TV on, just be with your food and the space around you. Also, if you have children that are growing up, this may be the only solid visit you get with them in a day and that connection and stability is so important for a family.

2. Pay Your Bills All Together - This may not work for everyone, but keeping your bills organized in a single spot in the house (or on the computer) and paying them all together is a really helpful way that I use to reduce my money stress. There's no avoidance or mistakes then, from not being able to remember deadlines, and once they are done for the month, I get to sit back and relax for the other 29 days.

3. Tell Your Family and Friends That You Appreciate and Love Them - This may be obvious but we never, never do it enough. Say it before you get in a fight, not just afterwards and don't just say "I love you." I love you's can be so easy to say on autopilot that they eventually become nothing more than a greeting. Say WHY you love them, and take the extra seconds in the day to look right in their eyes when you say it, I guarantee it will make all the difference to them, and when your hearts are full, everything becomes simple.

4. Find your Ritual - When I have a hard day, I take a long bath (and I'm talking raisin toes long) with a bottle of beer and a good book. When the world's about to end, I hand sew just about any piece of fabric I can find. My brother works on his car...even if it's not broken. My mom designs websites, using only code to calm herself down during stressful times, or if it's really bad, she has a good friend she can call. They sound like the CIA on the phone, with words like "code red" or "Mr. No Name" and "Mrs. Bleepity Bleep." Stress in the body is a factor in almost every disease we know of today, it can literally kill you. So it doesn't matter if it's picking your toenails or singing show tunes, just as long as it works for you, everyone needs a ritual to turn to in a stressful moment.