Test: What helps you find focus?

When life feels fragmented, it’s no surprise that frazzled can become your default mindset. After all, if you feel uncertain or like you’ve lost sight of your boundaries, you can find yourself spending all day in fire-fighting mode, with your nervous system permanently switched to ‘under threat’.

The irony is that those daily habits that ground and calm us are often the first things we drop when our routine is disrupted. But relaxation isn’t a luxury for when life ‘gets easier’ and, in times of transition, or when you’re seeking insight about what really matters to you, it’s an everyday essential.

Time spent in nature, being active and connecting with friends all have a cumulative effect in creating a calm mindset. Remember, it’s not so much about creating calm, it’s about grounding yourself, and turning down the volume on your mental noise so you can connect with the calm that’s there inside.

Of course, feeling calmer won’t instantly make life easier, but it’ll put you in a better place to work out what really matters to you. Start by thinking about how you can ring-fence some calm time every day, whether that’s through yoga, meditation or just a daily walk somewhere green. Then notice the change in the quality of your focus.