Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Erica of The Life On Purpose Movement.
I’ve never been on a road trip where I didn’t come home with a clearer perspective and a renewed energy for living with purpose.
(Except maybe for that one time our 18-month-old yelled from San Francisco to Portland, but that’s another story.)
It’s like climbing a mountain or taking in an incredible sunset: Time away from the minutia of our lives helps us see the big picture again. These experiences also provide a break from the hard work of being a human—all of the doing and the becoming—and give us a much-needed chance to just be.
But the thing is… Most of us don’t get to experience this kind of white space on a daily basis. We have jobs to keep up with, children to raise, aging parents to care for, and all of the other responsibilities that get piled on our shoulders.
Unfortunately, a sunrise hike or a long drive on the open road isn’t always in the cards. But we can find white space in the small, ordinary moments of our lives—if we’re consciously looking for it.
11 Freeing Ways to Create Moments of White Space—in the Midst of Everyday Life
- The next time you stand in a line, whether waiting to use the copier at work or for a cashier at the grocery store, resist the urge to pull out your phone. Instead, take a moment to be present. Take a few deep breaths; notice the sights, smells, and sounds around you; or let your mind simply wander.
- Practice the same mindful presence while driving a familiar route in your car. Turn off the music, the podcast, or the audio book, and simply be where you are.
- Disable the notifications on your phone and notice how much time you get back in your day.
- Don’t schedule errands or appointments so close together that you have to rush between them and don’t have time to process one thing before starting the next. Whenever possible, give yourself some breathing room in between.
- Try waking up before your family, so you can savor a few minutes of quiet and prepare your mind for what’s ahead.
- Climb into your child’s bed for a few minutes of snuggles before starting your day together.
- Inhale deeply the moment you step outside your house. Notice how the morning air smells instead of rushing through it.
- Do a body-scan meditation when you feel stress creeping in. Sit comfortably or lie on your back and focus on relaxing one part of your body at a time, moving slowly from head to toe.
- Take a few minutes to clear a small area of the clutter that’s accumulated. It could be your desk, your email inbox, the kitchen counter, or the clothes piling up in your closet. As Gretchen Rubin says, outer order brings inner calm. {10 Clutter-Clearing Strategies that Will Gradually Make Your Life 100 Times Easier}
- At the end of your day, write three things you’re grateful for in your journal. It’s the perfect way to reflect on the day you’ve had and to train your mind to look for the beauty in the middle of your regular life.
- Create a soothing wind-down routine to practice every night. Even if you’re short on time, I bet you could spend a few minutes before bed rubbing lotion into your hands, diffusing an essential oil, drinking a hot cup of herbal tea, writing in your journal, or doing anything that feels like self-care to you.
It might take a lifetime of practice, but I believe we’re meant to sink into the moments and really live the days we’ve been given—and that intentionally creating moments of white space will help us get there.
For more inspiration just like this, check out Erica’s new 5-star book, The Minimalist Way: Minimalism Strategies to Declutter Your Life and Make Room for Joy.
From Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist: “The beauty of this book is that you will finish with a clearer picture of the life you want to build—and how minimalist principles can help you get there. You’ll walk away with actionable steps and a personalized plan to help. This is a message we all need to hear again and again.”
Erica Layne is a sunset chaser, mom of three, and founder of The Life On Purpose Movement, where she writes with the goal of helping people move from overwhelmed and worn-out to focused and at peace.
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