Plan with self-compassion

Simplicity seems to be the game changer but it isn’t that easy to put into practice. ‘It is challenging to live a simpler life,’ agrees Divya Kohli, author of Finding Peace In Difficult Times (Watkins, £4.99). Rather than trying to eradicate our less desirable habits, she suggests a gentler approach. ‘What helped me is being my own ally. Respond to stress with kindness. For example, if we find ourselves getting caught up in other people’s dramas yet again, instead of beating ourselves up, we might ask ourselves why we gravitate towards certain people and situations – and accept that those are not necessarily wrong.’

In order to create lasting change, she advocates looking at two time frames, the short term and the long term. ‘In everyday life, do what you need to do for your wellbeing and self-care. But if, for example, loneliness is driving you to check your phone all the time and fall into the social media trap, you could think about the long term. How would you like your social interactions to be and why? What changes could you gradually start to introduce?’

Simplicity starts with self-awareness, she says. ‘It’s about learning to zoom in and out of your circumstances. In the short term, having the cocktail and watching TV is fine – but zoom out and ask: why am I doing that? Why do I need that? Sometimes, it’s because it’s exactly what you need – but, if you’re doing it every night, maybe it’s keeping you from completing the project that you really want to finish or forging meaningful connections that will bring you closer to the life you really want.’

shannahkennedy.com; hopemonger.com; yogawithdivya.co.uk; pret-a-voyager.com