Always ‘on’? 7 small ways to find more peace in your day
Work, family, groceries, messages, appointments, and in the meantime trying to find a little time for yourself. Before you know it, your mind is running at full speed from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed.
And the crazy thing is: even when you are finally sitting on the couch, it sometimes feels as if your mind is still just working away.
More peace sounds wonderful. Only, it often seems as if you have to turn your entire life upside down to achieve it.
You don't have to.
Small habits, in particular, can ensure that you step out of that constant on-mode more often throughout the day.
1. Don't start your day with the outside world immediately
The alarm goes off. You grab your phone. A few minutes later, you've already seen WhatsApp, the news, Instagram, and your inbox.
Even before you've gotten up, everyone already has access to your mind, so to speak.
Try starting the first 10 to 15 minutes of the day without your phone.
Showering. Making coffee. Eating breakfast. Looking outside for a moment.
It doesn't have to be spiritual or complicated. It’s primarily about making sure your day begins as yours for a moment.
2. Stop keeping everything in your head
Our mind is surprisingly good at constantly reminding us of what we still need to do.
Get milk.
Send that email.
Make an appointment.
Arrange a birthday gift.
Separately, they are small things. Together, they create quite a bit of mental noise.
Write them down.
Use a notebook, your phone, or one set to-do list. Not five different lists.
The goal is simple: you no longer need to constantly remember something once you know it is safely stored somewhere.
3. Make small breaks truly small
When we think of rest, we quickly think of yoga, meditation, or a long walk.
All fine. But on a busy Tuesday at 2:20 PM, that might not be realistic.
A three-minute break counts, too.
Make a cup of tea without checking your phone in the meantime. Walk outside for a moment. Literally sit somewhere without doing anything.
Three minutes seems like little.
But three minutes of rest that you actually take is more valuable than that thirty minutes of relaxation you never get around to all week.
4. Move before you feel like it
Moving doesn't always have to mean exercising.
A fifteen-minute walk. Cycling to the shop. Walking the dog. Walking outside for a bit during your lunch.
Especially if you sit a lot or work behind a screen, it can be pleasant to consciously build moments of movement into your day.
Keep the threshold as low as possible.
Not:
“Starting Monday, I'm going to work out four times a week.”
But:
“After lunch, I will walk outside for ten minutes.”
A simple habit is usually easier to maintain than a perfect plan.
5. Build a transition between work and home
Working from home has many advantages, but one thing has become more difficult because of it: stopping.
Laptop closed and done?
For your mind, sometimes not.
Therefore, create a small, fixed moment that ends your workday.
Tidy up your workspace. Write down what your first task will be tomorrow. Go for a lap. Put on different music.
It only needs to take five minutes.
By doing so, you create a clearer distinction between working and being at home.
6. Make your evening slightly less interesting
We often try to get as much as possible out of our day until the very last moment.
One more episode. A bit more Instagram. Another email. Quickly ordering something else.
But your evening doesn't have to be efficient.
In fact: being a little bored can be wonderful.
Lights a bit dimmer. Phone away. A book. Showering. Tea. Talking for a bit.
You don't need a perfect evening ritual. Choose one or two things that you notice make you calmer and repeat those.
7. Don't expect to be relaxed every day
Perhaps the most important one.
The goal is not to be zen all the time.
Some weeks are just busy. Some days go differently than planned. Sometimes you have twenty things on your mind at once.
Creating more rest doesn't mean stress has to disappear completely.
It mainly means that you build moments throughout your day where you don't have to react, arrange, or perform for a while.
And those small moments, in particular, can make a big difference together.
Keep it simple
At GZOND, we don't believe you have to overhaul your entire life for a healthier routine.
Start small.
For example, choose one thing from this article that you want to try next week.
Maybe that’s leaving your phone alone for the first fifteen minutes of the morning. Maybe walking for ten minutes every afternoon. Or simply writing down everything that is still haunting your mind before you go to sleep.
Not everything at once.
One small habit. And see what it does for you.
