If you’re like me, you probably love putting in some extra effort to make everyday life that much more luxurious and special. I still completely stand by that (after all that’s why I started this blog!) but this year I’ve noticed how some of those things have actually been adding stress for me. The desire to make everyday life more beautiful and enjoyable can morph into pressure and a lot of “shoulds”, if you’ve got perfectionistic tendencies.
In these times especially, we really don’t need to be adding more stress and expectation to our days. There’s more than enough of that already just being a human in 2020. So, here are some life edits that have helped me save time, reduce stress, and still enjoy the little things.
1. Embracing Easy Meals
This one is huge for me. I truly love to cook, and love to try new things, but that often ended up with me planning something elaborate for a Wednesday night when I really just wanted to sit on the couch. Plus, we have a small kitchen, and the cleanup was getting to be an ordeal. So lately we’ve taken the pressure off and have been enjoying store-bought tortellini with marinara & pesto, frozen pizza, and lots of easy meals from my favorite cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Super Simple. Also, frozen pizzas have come a long way! I love these squash, kale, and beet flatbreads from Loblaws.
2. Lowering Expectations
For me, overblown expectations have been one of the main sources of stress and dissatisfaction. Left unchecked, I tend to put some pretty unreasonable expectations on myself, and maybe you do too. I think as women, we’re often pushed and pulled in every direction by our society’s expectations of us, and we internalize that and then add to that pressure ourselves. So, if you find the word “should” attached to a thing, unless that thing is feeding your cat or brushing your teeth, maybe should isn’t a good enough reason. It’s okay if this is a season of a lower bar. It’s okay if the bar is rolling around on the floor and sometimes you kick it out of the way. We can’t be at our best all the time.
3. Being Less Particular About Cleaning & Organizing
So this point really links to the one above about lowering expectations (well really, all of them do). I’m a person who likes her space organized and clean. Spotless, sparkling, with everything in labeled bins if I had the time. So there’s a certain amount of that that is self-care for me, and maybe you’re the same way. But at certain points, self-care can also be leaving the dishes in the sink because I need a rest, or accepting that my closet is just kind of a mess right now, or choosing to read a book rather than dealing with all the Amazon boxes right this minute. There’s a balance to self-care that comes from truly listening to yourself and honoring what you need right now.
I am so, so happy we got our Eufy. Our floors are clean and I didn’t clean them!! We have 3 cats and all of them are little fur factories, so the Eufy is a life-saver. Plus, it’s freed up so much time to get work done or clean other things. I find it does a great job, doesn’t get stuck on things, and it’s quiet enough that you can still live your life while it cleans your floors. I also love that it’s slim enough to get under all the furniture, because let’s be real I never vacuumed under the couch.
5. Adding Joy in Simple Ways
Sometimes the pressure can build around things that are supposed to be fun, and that’s just ridiculous and sad and I think indicative of some flaws in our culture. When something joyful becomes more about “getting it right” than actually enjoying it, it’s time to simplify. I find the most joyful moments in life are actually little everyday things that don’t require a production. When we watch TV in the fall and winter, we make tea and light a scented candle. And then we get to blow out the candle, and that blown-out candle smell is honestly the best thing. Or, we make a plan to play Scrabble on a random Monday evening. We also like to go for lots of walks and just take in the beauty of the leaves. Nothing big, no pressure, just a little extra joy in your life.
