How To Restore Calm and Balance in Your Life

Do you feel overwhelmed? If so, it’s time to revamp your life. Learn how to restore calm and balance in your life with these helpful suggestions.

Take Frequent Breaks

The first and most obvious way to restore calm is to take frequent breaks. You don’t have to power through projects. A 10-minute break won’t affect your productivity. In fact, it will improve your focus! A break lets you rest and recharge.

Compare a break to charging your phone. When you’re on low battery, you don’t function well. In extreme cases, you “shut down.” Don’t push yourself for the sake of getting things done faster. Instead, take breaks to improve your alertness and focus.

Journal Your Feelings

Increase self-awareness by journaling. Write down your thoughts, emotions, concerns or anything else that comes to mind. Expressive writing helps people sort out their feelings and understand their current situations.

When life feels chaotic, it’s time to step back and figure out what’s contributing to the chaos. Perhaps you have financial troubles or maybe you’re nervous about an upcoming event. Writing lets you reveal hidden anxieties.

Once you recognize the source of trouble, you can find ways to rest and create solutions.

Try Transition Activities

It’s hard to leave one environment and go straight to another one. Dealing with the hustle and bustle of work and then transitioning to home life can be stressful. Instead of jumping into a new place, try transition activities first.

Transition activities prevent negative behaviors and allow you to relax. Your mind has a chance to decompress before starting something new. For inspiration, here are some transition activities you can try:

• Go for a 15-minute walk
• Read for a few minutes
• Listen to music
• Talk to a friend
• Meditate

Create a Peaceful Home

Clutter is the last thing you want to see when you arrive home! Messy spaces induce stress and they’re not aesthetically pleasing. Bring harmony to your life with a peaceful home. Declutter rooms, organize items and add calming scents.

In fact, incorporating calming scents is one tip for creating a calming experience in your primary closet. Scents like jasmine and lavender contribute to relaxation, so purchase essential oils and let fragrances flow throughout your home.

Scale Back Duties

Social, community, work, and volunteer obligations can be overwhelming. Sometimes, you stretch yourself too thin when you overcommit to things. When you don’t have time for yourself, you neglect personal responsibilities. Don’t forget to prioritize your well-being!

If there’s too much going on, scale back on your commitments. Maybe you can’t volunteer at the church bake sale and clothes drive. That’s OK! Only say “yes” to a limited number of things that align with your core values and goals. Know when to fall back and prioritize yourself.

Separate Work and Home Life

Restore balance in your life by separating work and home life. Although you can physically leave workplaces, mentally leaving can be challenging. Unfinished tasks or anxiety about upcoming projects can fill your mind. With an uneven work-life balance, you may feel trapped in “work mode.”

Fortunately, there are ways to separate work and home. Although this is more challenging for those working from home since the pandemic,it’s not impossible.

Here are some ideas to help create separation between home and work. 

• Don't respond to emails after hours, turn off your work phone and staying in the moment are ways to restore balance.
• It’s also helpful to create a dedicated work space when you can so that you can leave it at the end of your work day.
• Use your downtime to unwind and enjoy hobbies and friends rather than continue working.

Do you already incorporate any of these ideas into your life? Do you have other favorite ways to restore calm and balance? We'd love to hear about it in the comments below!