How to Be More Chill (27 secrets to an easy-going life)
I’m incredibly laid-back. I’m optimistic, carefree and I have this crazy philosophy that most problems are temporary and usually have more than one solution. It’s more fun and less stressful to live this way.
And it makes me happy.
So I’m stoked to share my top moves with you! This is my take on how to be more chill.
Because since I am still human, I definitely still experience blah moments. But I’m able to pretty quickly reset back to my relaxed baseline.
I lot of this comes down to awareness, perspective and practice. But there are some actual strategies I use to keep me grounded as an easy-going person.
So without further ado, let’s do this!
1. Go After Your Ideas + Dreams
post credit: Zach Pogrob
Some of my most anxious moments come from dragging my feet on my passions and dreams.
It’s pretty surprising (or not surprising at all) how quickly I become happier and more chill once I actually start pursuing my ideas.
Keeping your vision bottled up as just an idea is torture. Because you have epic plans and talent — so go make that jazz happen!
There is no perfect time. And you’ll never be “ready”.
The world is waiting.
Read More: Think Less, Talk Less + Do More
2. Be A Freaking Dreamer
On the subject of actually pursuing your vision, it’s really helpful to be a dreamer.
Dreamers are naturally optimistic, curious and have more fun. They have an unmatched thirst for life and embracing the adventure.
This personality — these ingredients — bake the best chill cake you’ll ever taste.
So dream more and worry less. You can figure the details out later.
Because new doors always open to replace the ones that closed (if you just keep an eye out for them).
Read More: The Dreamer Personality (traits + tips)
3. Be An Optimist
To be more chill, optimism is required. There’s no way around it.
I mean, a laid-back pessimistic person is basically just a nihilist. And that’s not the goal here.
So work on cultivating a more optimistic view of life. Because life is amazing and hard and weird and frustrating, but then cathartic and also fun — all at once.
While horrible things in life also happen, learning to accept or integrate them and supporting others going through them is a form of resilient optimism.
Optimism is a perspective, that becomes a habit and eventually a way of life.
So join me, won’t you?
Read More: How to Be Happy-Go-Lucky
4. Turn Off the News
Want to know one of the quickest ways to be more optimistic (and thus, more chill)?
Stop watching the news. Because sometimes, being blissfully unaware of the goings-on in the world is just better.
The news has this uncanny ability of making it seem like everything is always falling apart and on the brink of full collapse with no way out — and you need to care about everything, all the time.
It’s stressful!
Of course, there are serious things going on. And doing your part to support a better future is awesome. But stop watching so much news — there are other ways to be informed or participate in brighter futures.
You’ll naturally catch the big events. Everything else is just negative fluff.
5. Change Your Vibe + Energy
Not to get all woo-woo on you, but everything is energy and frequency. You literally embody and emit a human biofield of waves.
And the cool part is your emotions, thoughts and energy — your vibes — are all flexible and playing a role.
Don’t believe me? Here’s an article from the National Library of Medicine outlining some of the basics (although it is a still an emerging field of study, at least in the western world).
But here’s the main point, you emit energy and that energy can influence your biology, emotions and potentially the world around you.
I mean, we can all pick up on a bad vibe and it’s well understood that stress can cause disease. So then, can’t chillness do the opposite?
The idea here is simple: change your energy and vibe to be more chill.
It just takes a conscious decision. With enough intention and practice, you will embody a more chill state of being.
Read More: How to Change Your Vibe
6. Create A Laid-Back Alter Ego
If you’re really struggling with adopting a more chill lifestyle and personality, you could try creating an alter ego.
An alter ego is an alternate version (or ego) of yourself, who embodies a different (often more desirable) set of characteristics.
And you shouldn’t feel weird about it making one. They’re a useful hack and actually pretty common (especially for creatives or entrepreneurs).
This whole website was built from an alter ego (JAKEYOU is not my name — it’s just an homonym of my initials, JQ).
So list out your ideal chill personality characteristics and lifestyle. Then practice them.
Eventually, you’ll embody your alter ego’s traits without much thought at all.
Read More: How to Create An Alter Ego
7. Keep Chillness Top of Mind
To be more chill, we need to keep it top of mind.
Because one day of chillness isn’t going to have any lasting impacts. You need to be more sustainable with things.
For example, you can start a journaling routine to write about chill topics or how you’re practicing this new way of life. Or you can try out new hobbies that support more chillness (like reading or surfing).
You can also write down your chill goals (or find chill images) and:
Post them around your home
Put them in strange places (like under your chair)
Add them to a vision board
Whatever you do, just don’t forget about your chill lifestyle goals.
8. Find Work That’s More Fulfilling
If you hate your work, switching to something more fulfilling should be a priority.
Of course, there are tons of caveats and nuances to this overlay simplistic advice, but whatever — you got this.
Fulfilling work means you’re doing something you’re either passionate about or believe in. It’s work that’s aligned with your personal values, goals and lifestyle.
And for a more chill life, it’s everything.
Even if you just start something as a weekend hustle or a side gig, it’s forward progress.
Personally, I’m focusing on growing a personal brand. It’s a long-term strategy for sure, but (for me) it’s one of the most fulfilling and creative ways to work and earn a living.
Read More: Best Remote Jobs for Travelers (what I do)
9. Take More Trips (+ make them slow)
Travel has a ton of benefits. But one of my favorites is it makes me more chill.
Getting away, experiencing discomfort and expanding my perspectives always boost my carefreeness, patience and resilience for life’s clever curveballs.
And my favorite way to enhance the chill aspect of my travels is to do it slowly.
Slow traveling is taking things slower and more patiently so you can connect more meaningfully with destinations, cultures and yourself.
It’s my preferred mode of adventuring.
So rather than crafting a perfectly timed schedule full of “must-see” attractions, just go with the flow.
Keep things slow and casual.
And try to optimize your life in a way so you can travel more often (because only good things come from it).
Read More: How I Slow Travel
10. Identify Chill Bottlenecks
Chill bottlenecks are things that prevent or disrupt you from being chill.
So the best move here is to either fix them or avoid them altogether. But first, you need to identify them.
Everyone will have different bottlenecks, depending on individual circumstances, lifestyle, preferences and context. So you’ll need to do some self reflection to first isolate your biggest obstacles to living more carefree.
Once you know what they are, you can create a plan to either fix them or avoid them.
For inspiration, here are a few examples of potential chill bottlenecks:
People in your life that cause stress
Work
Money woes (more on this one below)
Any clear sources of stress, anger or anxiety
11. Prioritize Better Sleep
Low quality (or not enough) sleep can make a person seriously grumpy. But the better rest we get, the more relaxed we feel.
So I like to prioritize this.
Of course, I’m the farthest thing from a sleep expert, so if you need extra help with this, it’s probably best to talk with a professional.
But here are a few ways I like to optimize my own sleep:
Go to sleep and wake up around the same time everyday
Create a super chill and comfortable sleeping environment
Use white noise (or something similar)
Loosen up with some casual stretching before sleep
Avoid alcohol
Calm the mind and meditate before bed
Take your showers closer to sleep (clean sheets, clean me…ideal for sleeping!)
Wind down with stories using the Loóna app
12. Listen to More Chill Music
Maybe I’m biased here (as a musician), but music dictates so much of our mood and life.
So it stands to reason that chill music will support a more chill life. That’s the theory, at least. But actually, I’m not crazy here.
Various research shows that music impacts and can improve our mood, self awareness and happiness. But this doesn’t feel terribly surprising.
Music totally affects how we feel and process things. From nostalgia to motivation, music is one of the best (and most melodic) tools we have for emotion and life.
Here are a few artists and genres that are currently keeping me chill:
Lofi
Jack Johnson
Slightly Stoopid
Toots and the Maytals
Film scores
Disney songs (seriously! They’re creative and nostalgic — I’m hooked)
13. Practice Mindful Living
Mindful living is staying present, aware and reflective in life. And it’s a solid way to be more chill.
Present moment awareness naturally takes away stress and anxiety. Because both of these things stems from worry about either the past or the future (or both).
Whenever I center myself into the present moment, I forget about everything else and I’m able to focus on what is.
Plus, mindful living also helps you become more patient and is a form of self care (all good things for more chill living).
Here are a few ways to practice mindful living:
Connect with nature and people more intentionally and deeply
Focus on the breath
Start a meditation routine
Prioritize your health and wellness
14. Live Simpler (be more minimalist)
Less is more. And minimalism makes you more chill.
It goes against the framework that buying more things and accumulating stuff will make us feel better or happier.
But more stuff means more stuff to worry about. And more things beget more things (a diminishing return, indeed).
As a minimalist traveler, I love the clarity and carefreeness I get from being able to pack up my whole life into just a couple of suitcases.
(of course, this is an extreme example, given my nomadic lifestyle)
But anyone can become more minimalist. From decluttering your spaces to reorganizing your life, minimalism means prioritizing everything in your life so only the most important stuff stays.
The result? Often, more chillness.
Read More: How to Be A Kick-Ass Minimalist
15. Embrace Who You Are + Love Your Quirks
When you try to be someone else or suppress who you truly are, life gets more stressful.
But the more you lean into your awesomeness, the more fun you have and the more chill you become.
You’re perfectly unique and have amazing quirks. We all do. So rather than hiding from those, trying to change them or feeling embarrassed about it all, try loving and embracing them.
This is who you are and the more you do that, the more relaxed you’ll feel.
Plus, it’s totally cathartic, boosts your authenticity and is a great way to build your personal brand.
Read More: How to Embrace Your Weirdness
16. Cultivate A Chill Mindset
Everything comes down to mindset — it matters.
A chill mindset is choosing to view and understand things from a carefree perspective.
Mindset is how you see and experience the world around you. And it’s malleable — so why not change it to be more chill?
Here are a few quick tips to cultivate a more chill mindset:
Challenge any fixed or negative beliefs
Say goodbye to perfectionism
Embrace the unknown and change
Practice reframing past stresses to be more chill
17. Do More Chill Things
If you want to be more chill, then do more chill things.
This checks out.
Of course, this is different for everyone and depends on your definition of “chill”. But once you know what things you deem chill-worthy, simply prioritize them and do them more often.
For me, this means more creativity, like making music or writing (and going to cafes…this too).
How about you — what are the chillest things you can think of doing?
18. Learn How Money Works
I realized something a few years ago. A lot of my stress had to do with worries about money.
Go figure.
So anyways, I decided to address this elephant. And it’s made me much more relaxed.
Learning how money works feels like I’m in the driver’s seat of my financial health. From investing to better spending habits, it’s made me much more relaxed and chill.
Of course, this is not financial advice! I am the farthest things from a financial advisor. So all I can say is do your own research, work with a professional and find what works for you and your situation.
But all I know is that understanding money better has solved a lot of stress in my own life.
19. Love Your Bad Days
I have a personal mantra: stumble with a smile.
Because obstacles, setbacks and all around sh*t days are going to happen. So rather than fighting them and giving them more energy, I embrace them.
I try to love them.
I pause, sit back and imagine myself observing the negative emotions and moments from outside of myself. Then, I simply smile at them.
Besides, bad days can sometimes be opportunities. Because when things go awry, there can be opportunities to learn something. So the next time that situation pops up, you’ll handle it better.
My goal is to get good at loving my bad days and irritating moments.
This helps me to detach from negative emotions, see things more objectively and, yes, to live more chill.
20. Goodbye Expectations + Attachments
Assumptions and rogue expectations always get the best of me.
And this usually throws chillness out the window. So my solution? Assume less and detach more.
I know, easier said than done, but here’s a simple way to lessen the impact of assumptions. Next time you get stressed about something, ask yourself if it’s because of some misaligned assumption or expectation.
If it is, then shine a light on that fact and try to course correct back to a chill state.
For example, let’s say I’m releasing a new song (one that I’m particularly stoked about). Naturally, I’m hoping people will listen to it and like it.
But if it flops (even though I know this is the more likely result), it still hurts. Maybe it’s my insufferable optimism, but I always have this lingering “what if?” mentality for things.
This can lead to unrealistic expectations.
So while I think it’s important to dream big and believe in yourself, I know it’s also important to balance things out by also expecting nothing.
Read More: How to Have Slow Expectations
21. Practice Compassion + Gratitude
Nothing takes away your chillness faster than some unsolicited negativity.
This is especially true if you’re an artist or content creator and putting yourself out there.
But the best way I’ve found to respond to that negative stuff is with genuine empathy and compassion. Because if someone is going out of their way to dish out some unjustified hate, they must be living in a pretty negative place.
On the other hand, sometimes there is some truth to a negative comment.
For example, I posted a video of me singing and playing guitar like three years ago, and one of the comments was how I was straining with certain notes. It came off cold and preachy.
But the person was right. I had tension.
So I explored how to start working on releasing more tension while singing. And now I sing looser (win!).
Here’s the takeaway — combat hate with compassion and process criticism more like feedback. It’s make you more chill about it all.
22. Don’t Think Your Way to Chillness (feel it)
Rather than thinking your way to more chillness, use emotion.
With emotion, you can really feel it and actually experience things more deeply.
For example, repeating mantras and trying to convince your brain (logically) to just be more chill is pretty ineffective. There’s no emotion, weight or feeling to this approach.
It’s like repeating affirmations with no emotional conviction or belief — it’s sort of fruitless.
So I like to visualize how it would feel to be truly and fully chill. Then, step into that persona on a deep, emotional level.
What would it feel like to be completely chill? Imagine yourself this way, even taking note of the made-up surroundings and senses you’re experiencing in this visualization. Practice feeling the emotions of chill.
It takes a little practice (and a bit of method acting), but you’ll be surprised at how effective it can be.
23. Become More Chill In Baby Steps
Adopting a consistently chill personality is the result of practicing day in and day out.
We reach this macro reality by practicing in the micro. That means taking baby steps and making micro changes (not switching your whole life overnight).
You can start by just becoming more aware of opportunities to be chill in your daily life. This could mean not reacting in anger, pausing to self reflect or simply starting a meditation routine.
The more you practice and get good at being chill in the smaller moments, the better you’ll be at being chill naturally and in the larger, macro moments of life.
This is way more sustainable.
Because why would you run a marathon without first trying a 5K?
24. Do More of What You Want (not what you “should”)
This is one simple. Do more of what you want and what makes you happy.
There’s a lot of social pressure to act certain ways, do certain things and think in certain dogmas or frameworks.
But remember this simple fact: you don’t have to do anything (not really).
As long as you’re not hurting anyone, I say do more of what you actually want to do.
(unless of course you have responsibilities like children, then this context is different — but my core point remains)
So what do you truly want to do?
Becoming more chill is the ability to live up to your own values and interests — not the values and interests of somebody else.
Put another way, make more time for your passions and hobbies.
Read More: Do More of What Makes You Happy
25. Laugh More
Learning to not take life too seriously is an art form.
But you can start by simply learning to laugh more. For example, you can:
Watch more funny movies or content
Hang out with funnier friends
Eventually, you want to develop a more comedic mindset though. That way, you’ll naturally see the brighter, funnier side of things.
So loosen the tie, watch some standup comedy and laugh at yourself more.
Because why take things so seriously? It’s just life, after all — have fun with it.
26. Stack Your Deck for Ultimate Chillness
If your context, life and environment are stressful, then it’s going to be pretty hard to stay chill.
While some things are out of our control, a lot of stuff isn’t.
For example, you can:
Design your spaces to be more relaxing
Make friends with more chill people
Consume more optimistic content that makes you feel inspired
Plan ahead (e.g., if you have a flight at 11 AM, don’t show up to the airport at 10)
Change things little by little and slowly create a more chill lifestyle.
27. Study Esoteric Topics (with an open, curious mind)
“You’re a conscious bundle of energy inhabiting a meat skeleton made up of stardust on a living spaceship hurtling through space at thousands of miles per hour — so, chill.”
I love the big questions in life. Something about them puts things into perceptive and shrinks my worries. Like:
What is all of this?
How much life is out there?
What’s beyond and what was before?
And what the hell am I doing here?
For me, these ideas are creative and excite my imagination like I’m a kid again.
But a lot of these questions yield some pretty deep and esoteric (often fringe) answers. And I kinda love it.
Something about these topics makes me totally chill and relaxed about life, death and everything in between. So, mission accomplished I guess.
As a disclaimer, these topics do require some openness and curiosity. But if something resonates with you, keep it. And if it doesn’t, throw it away.
Here are some fun rabbit holes to explore (for more chillness in life):
Study the placebo effect, the power of our mind and stories of self healing
The fascinating subject of near death experiences
Study the universe, space and the vastness of it all
How some people seem to remember their past lives (like Matías De Stefano)
Check out this interview from Dr. Tara Swart on intuition, manifestation and our sixth sense
Study consciousness (I’m keen to see this film on consciousness once it’s released!)
And that’s a wrap!
With these tips, I’m positive you can become a more chill, carefree, laid-back person. Simply desiring this way of life is half the battle, so just keep going.
Alright then, later ✌️
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