Six Ways to Find Rest from the Hectic Life

Is there any way for the normal busy American to find moments for quietness and relaxation in today’s hectic world? Modern culture is full of paradoxes between the demand for a rushed pace of life and a plea for simplicity. We feel the opposing pulls wherever we go. At the bookstore whose shelves are packed with business management books, we also come across home design books that show us the beauty of a plain white wall. A fast-paced talk show tries to stress the importance of finding margin. But really, how do we do this? How do we create space and time for rest in a life that is too full?

1. Say no to Stuff— Belongings place a serious strain on any person’s life. Think about how much time is taken up by stuff. We can spend hours of the day browsing online catalogs or window-shopping, looking for that one little trinket or one new outfit that we think will make us happier. But the time we spend shopping only makes us busier, and in turn, creates more internal stress. 

And stuff doesn’t make life any easier once we bring it home. We need to find a place for everything, and then we need to keep it organized and clean. I used to be a clothes-aholic. I would shop compulsively and keep all my outfits neatly stacked or hung in the closet. It took me several years to realize how much stress my hoards of clothing were causing me. I would hours trying to keep my closet organized, trying to decide what to wear and shopping for a new pair of shoes. Finally, I decided to pare down to several selections for each season. Simplifying my wardrobe freed up time I never realized I was using. 

Look through the closets and shelves in your house. Do you have five sets of china? Thirty pairs of shoes? Seventeen bike locks? Put everything you haven’t used within a year into paper bags and take the bags to the nearest Goodwill. You’ll never regret it, and along with more space in your closets and shelves you will find that you have more time for enjoying the simple life.