How to Create Peace in a Noisy World

I happened to briefly catch an article earlier this week from the Washington Post about how a “Climate Clock” has been displayed in Manhattan’s Union Square. The point of the clock is to countdown the amount of time we have left before Earth’s carbon budget is depleted, based on current emission rates. It says we have about 7 years left.

I mean… WHAT.

Add that to the list of good news 2020 just keeps on producing, right?

The amount of energy it takes to stay positive right now is out of this world, isn’t it? I mean, you guys. There is doom and gloom EVERYWHERE WE LOOK. Life has felt big and overwhelming and heavy this year.

Not to fear, though! This article isn’t meant to be a sob story, trust me. It’s meant to be the opposite, actually! Because this summer, I just decided to start saying no. NO MORE, 2020.

The negativity surrounding this year got to be too much for me and I knew I needed to work on shutting out the noise if I was going to remain positive. I knew I needed less. Less news, less social media, less scheduling, and less “to do’s.” I needed to create peace for myself and the people closest to me.

So, this summer I started trying a few new things that have really helped keep me afloat. I thought I would share them with you in case you find them helpful, too! Or in case you’re feeling the same heaviness about this year and you’re just tired of the noise.

Here’s what I was up to this summer that’s helped me create peace:

I Removed notifications from all the apps on my phone (except texts).

In July, I became pretty fed up with Facebook. It was constantly notifying me, and with the most random stuff! Every single time someone posted in a group, I’d get a notification. Or if anyone and their dog posted a COVID update, I’d get that notification, too.

The problem is, I’m a “zero inbox/notifications” kind of girl, so the second I saw that little red circle at the top right of the app, I of course needed to open it up and check it out. Then 10 minutes would go by and I’d look up only to realize that I had spent the whole time scrolling and hadn’t even checked my notifications yet. 🤦‍♀️

So, after a little trial and error, I decided my best option was to turn off push notifications all together so I wouldn’t have to physically see (or hear) anymore from Facebook.

And friend, that little decision there WAS LIFE GIVING! It was such a stress relief to not have to see anything from Facebook! I could hop on the app once a day, check out any (real) notifications, and take a few moments to scroll before deciding that was enough for one day and close out the app. I would guess that by removing notifications, I’ve reduced the time I spend on Facebook by 75%.

See? LIFE GIVING.

So within the next couple of weeks after that monumental change, I moved forward with removing notifications on all my apps except for texts. And I’m pretty sure I’m never going back.

I’m not really sure why it took me so long to try removing push notifications on my apps. Maybe I was afraid I’d be out of touch with the world. Or maybe I was afraid of missing out on things. (FOMO is REAL, y’all! 😊 )

But either way, I’ve found that I’m scrolling WAY less than I used to. And I’m sure I’m out of touch a little bit on news and updates, but that’s ok. I’ve earned a few more “phone free” minutes of life back and that feels really good.

I highly encourage you to give this a try for yourself. I know that taking all of the notifications off of all of your apps may not be a viable option for you, so maybe just start with one. Which app could remove the notifications on that would help you breath a little easier? That would make you feel a little less stressed and a little happier to spend less time on each day?

I Started Reading Again.

Before August, I’d put the kiddos to bed then head to my room to pick up my phone and start scrolling. Since I was attempting to cut back on the noise from the outside world (and I didn’t have any glaring notifications to check on), I honestly needed to find something else to do with my hands. It felt awkward coming into my bedroom with nothing to do!

So I started thinking about things I enjoyed doing but thought I never had “time” to do. The first thing I thought of was reading.

I’ve always enjoyed reading, but I looked back over the past year and realized I hadn’t even completed a single book. In a year. Yet I’d say that I enjoyed reading… (Doesn’t add up to you, either? Good. Glad I’m not alone here.)

This is silly, I thought. I say I enjoy reading, but I never make time for it.

So, I decided it was time to pick up a good ol’ fashioned book again and make time to read 2 evenings a week.

What are the benefits of doing this? Oh I’m so glad you asked! 😉

For one, if I’m reading, then I can’t also watch TV, the news, or scroll away on my phone. Also, nothing can take you to another world like a good book can. If you’re looking to escape, better yourself, or add joy to your life, books are a fabulous option.

So in August I dove in. I was able to read Less is More by Emily Ley in a month and it was everything I didn’t know I needed to hear. It felt like Emily reached through the pages and gave me a giant hug to remind me that I don’t have to do everything, conquer everything, and be everything to everyone in order to be happy. Joy could be found in the simple and sincere moments. Had I not picked up a book in my effort to keep the noisy world to a minimum, I would have never experienced the life I felt from reading those words.

I guess the point here is that if there’s something you like to do that’s life-giving to you, don’t automatically decide you don’t have time for it. Look over your schedule and decide where you can make the time. It’s worth it! (And yes, I 1000% endorse reading as a viable option here. 😊

I Took a vacation And Didn’t check Social Media at all.

At the end of August, Cory and I borrowed his parents lake house for a quick 3 day getaway. It was short notice and not really planned, but the stars happened to aline where the house was vacant and Cory’s parents offered to watch our kiddos so we could go. I’ve never packed a bag so fast. 😉

Anyway, while we were there, I decided not to open a single social media app during the entire trip. I didn’t even announce that I was gone. I didn’t scroll, I didn’t lose any time on my device, I had no idea what the outside world was up to, and I kinda loved it.

Is this something I could do every day of my normal life? Nope. I enjoy Instagram way too much.

But think about it: What if we all just took a break?

What if we all just took a day off here and there? What if we scheduled “social media sabbaths” (yes, this is my own made up term) and stepped away from our devices? What would be different?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that when the world feels big and loud and heavy, scrolling social apps doesn’t usually make me feel any better. My best option is to just take some time away from it all and act like social apps don’t exist.

I Built more time into our family morning routine.

This isn’t necessarily a summer thing, but it’s something I started working on at the very beginning of the new school year a few weeks ago.

I used to wake the kids up at 6:50ish and try to be out the door by 7:30, but the whole morning felt like a massive rush. I just ended up pushing everyone and feeling extremely stressed and anxious. It really made me loath week-day mornings.

So, I decided it was time to start a new routine. A couple of weeks ago, I started waking the kids up 15 minutes earlier to give us all a little more time. Now I wake them up at 6:35 and the anxiety level (for everyone, but mostly me) has been greatly reduced!

Once the kiddos are all ready, they actually have a few minutes to play before we have to head out the door. Bonus Points: Earning those few minutes of free play time, is a huge motivator that keeps them moving in the morning. Example: “Colton, if you don’t get dressed, you’ll run out of time to play before we need to put on shoes and go.”

Do we still have some crazy mornings and the occasional melt down. Oh you bet. I still have a near-three-year-old on my hands. Don’t kid yourself. Waking them up earlier doesn’t fix everything. But it does remove a lot of stress for me and that, in it’s self, is worth it!

If your mornings (or evenings or whenever!) are feeling stressful to you, try looking at your schedule and seeing if you can find a way to rearrange it a little bit. Feeling less stressed in your routines is a major way to create peace for yourself!

I Leaned into the small, quiet, and simple things.

I feel like I’ve been talking about this A LOT (because you can take an in-depth look at it in this blog post), but I just can’t say it enough: This year has made me really focus on the small and simple things right in front of me.

I’ve always wanted to be more “present,” but this year really made me realize how much I honestly needed to buckle down and start making some major changes.

I’ve had more time at home with my kids than ever, and our “go and do” lifestyle has been MAJORLY interrupted (as I’m sure it has for you, too).

This has all really forced me to slow down and take a look at the things going on right in front of me. To focus more on the kids and less on the to do’s. To create more fun and worry a little less.

Wrapping Up.

So there you have it! A few things I’ve been practicing over the last couple of months in an effort to create peace.

And now I feel like I’m rolling into October feeling refreshed. Feeling ready to write new blog posts again and live life fully, regardless of the date on the calendar. We still have a few months of the year left and I’d love to see you and me give it our all instead of shrinking back in fear!

As for that Climate clock in Manhattan’s Union Square? Only God knows what will happen in 7 years. We only have today, so let’s make it our best day yet and keep the positive vibes rolling!

****OVER TO YOU: Which tip resonated with you the most? Is there anything you’ve practiced this year that’s been keeping you positive? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!