4 Mindset Tips to Improve Your Life
There is no shortage of mindset advice floating around the internet, as I’m sure you know. When it comes to mindset tips, which I occasionally share in my newsletter, I appreciate ideas that help to actively improve my life. Let me share four of the best life-improving mindset tips I’ve come across. I hope they help you too!
1. Say “No”
Do you struggle with saying “No”? You’re not alone. Many people, myself included, have a difficult time saying “no” to asks. However, denying a request can improve our lives by creating more space for us to say “Yes” to the things we really want to put our energy into.
The How to say no. resource at Starter Story curates a collection of “Templates to help you say no in any situation.” It has strategies for saying no to all sorts of things:
Saying no to a call (keeping things over email)
Saying no to a project at work
Saying no to working for free
Saying no when someone is being pushy
If you have a hard time finding the words to say “No” to a request, pull up this resource and utilize someone else’s!
2. Figure out the worst-case scenario
Sometimes, I find myself in a spiral of worry about making the wrong decision. But I’ve learned a trick that comes in really handy at those times and allows me to move forward much more quickly.
When you’re feeling worried something will happen, figure out the worst thing that could happen; then, figure out the best-case scenario and the most likely scenario.
What’s the worst-case scenario if you move to Vegas [or whatever you’re worried about]?
What’s the likely scenario for how a move to Vegas would go?
What’s the best-case scenario for how a move to Vegas would go?
This practice allows you to consider how bad the worst-case situation would be and create a game plan to deal with it, which often settles down your thinking because it reminds you that sometimes, even the worst-case scenario—though unlikely to happen—is still something you can find a pathway out of.
3. Stay calm
Sometimes it’s difficult to stay calm when things are busy. When we get overwhelmed, our stress response can prevent us from effectively managing the tasks in front of us.
In her TEDx talk, ER doctor Darria Long draws on years of experience and shares a straightforward framework to help you regain control and feel less overwhelmed when life gets "crazy busy."
We can ditch the “crazy” and own the “busy” by choosing to:
Prioritize by degree of urgency
Design to make tasks easier to do
Put your focus on someone else
4. Breathe
Did you know you could improve your life by breathing more intentionally? Not only can breathwork reduce stress, but a study conducted at USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has shown evidence that breathing exercises may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by reducing levels of certain proteins in the blood associated with the disease.
There are several ways to incorporate breathwork into your daily routine. I like the Calm app for meditations (the free version is great, and the pro version is no-cost with many healthcare plans so it's worth Googling to see if that's true for yours!), and I use the Hatch Restore machine every night for a sleep meditation and then white noise.
Want more tips?
If you’d like more tips like these, my popular Friday Five Newsletter is the best place to get them every week!
About The Author
Jessica Eastman Stewart is a consultant, workshop facilitator, and podcast guest expert. She teaches busy professionals how to get more organized at home and at work so they can stop feeling worn out and start living a Joyfully Managed Life! Thousands of readers drop everything when her weekly newsletter, The Friday Five, arrives in their inbox. Every Friday, you’ll get FIVE amazing tips to help life feel INSTANTLY more joyful and easy!
