4 Ways to Feel Less Busy in Five Minutes
Updated: Oct. 04, 2018
Stuck in overdrive? Try one of these simple tricks to slow down.
How to Feel Less Busy: Zone Out
According to a 2012 article published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, daydreaming can help improve your memory, imagination and ability to manage your emotions. If you want to feel less busy, turn off distractions (a.k.a. silence your smartphone) and let your brain shift into neutral-a well-rested mind will thank you with a more thoughtful, creative outlook.
How to Feel Less Busy: Get Creative
Making art-whether it’s colouring, doodling or playing with clay-has been shown to significantly lower stress hormones. Self-doubters take heed: you don’t even have to be good at it. A study published in the journal Art Therapy earlier this year showed that making art produced positive physiological changes in people, regardless of their skill level.
How to Feel Less Busy: Turn On the Tunes
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, plug in your headphones and turn up the volume. Numerous studies have shown that listening to music before stressful situations positively influences the body’s nervous system. To max out the benefits, try a playlist of relaxing sounds, such as rippling water or classical music.
How to Feel Less Busy: Play Hard
“In our workaholic culture, play is undervalued and seen as a waste of time, but it’s what opens us up to new experiences and creativity,” says Brigid Schulte, author of 2014’s Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time. Reclaiming a sense of fun doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hunker down in a sandbox-simply doing something you like can open up a space for yourself that’s not on your to-do list, says Schulte.
