Yes, life is complicated … but does yours have to be quite as stressful as it is?

There are varied reasons you may complicate your own life unnecessarily, either consciously or unconsciously. I cannot speak to your particular situation, I can only share my own reasons and story.

Funnily enough, I actually think of myself as allergic to complication in my life. I try to keep things as streamlined as possible because I enjoy having flexibility and independence. There’s almost nothing tying me anywhere at the moment; I don’t have a partner, or even a pet, and I honestly like it that way. I want to be able to roam wherever my heart desires.

Unfortunately, I am not as averse to chaos as I like to think sometimes. I find ways to procrastinate and take the easier or less frightening way out, mostly when it comes to my career and life purpose, but really in general. I am so terrified that I will fail at getting what I really desire that I avoid trying to achieve it in the first place.

This creates complication in my life by keeping me comfortable, small, and dissatisfied. Rather than centering, simplifying, and getting to work on what moves me, I keep accumulating jobs and side interests that I know deep down won’t serve me or elevate me in the long run. There are all kinds of false stories I tell myself that keep me stuck here – I’m not good enough, people won’t like me, I won’t make money doing what I love. In truth, these are umbrella stories also pushed upon us by society and those around us. All of those worries become self-fulfilling prophecies if I never go for what lights me up.

Whenever I have space to attend to those dreams I usually complain that I don’t have time for, I seem to find something else to distract me. I very recently understood this to be its own form of overcomplication. I used anything and everything to keep myself from spending time with me, getting to know who I truly am and what I want. I was so terrified of myself that I lost myself in one job after another, even knowing full well that none of them were remotely what I wanted. I considered them a means to an end – but what end?

You may have a very different story around overcomplicating your life. It may look like committing to more social engagements than you can realistically handle. It may look like making decisions around personal relationships that overwhelm and overextend you emotionally. It may look like taking on extreme assignments or sacrificing your sleep to work an inhuman number of hours. It doesn’t matter what the specifics are – there are universal questions that apply to every situation.

Where are you manufacturing unnecessary stress?

What are you afraid of and why?

What burdens are you carrying that are not yours?

What scares you about releasing unnecessary complication?

Where can you soften and let go?

These are only a few inquiries into the truth of why you bring chaos into your life unbidden. If it’s a reoccurring pattern, explore that. If it’s new, explore that too. You can simplify, I promise. You are not meant to live in a way that feels exhausting and overwhelming. The quality of your existence matters, not just for you, but for the entire world. Your energy affects the energy of the universe.

It’s okay if you can’t do everything. You aren’t supposed to – we have built a world that demands far too much of us, and yet, only we can shift that trajectory. Release or modify that which does not serve you. We only have so much time on this earth. Don’t look back and regret what you missed out on while you were busy weathering your own storm.

Hope you’re healthy and well. You can handle the hard things. I believe in you.