When you think of suffering, what comes to mind?<\/p>\n
Perhaps you imagine the grief of losing someone or the physical pain of an injury.<\/p>\n
But what about how we suffer from the complexity of our modern world?<\/strong><\/p>\n According to Buddhist monk Nick Keomahavong<\/a>, one cause of suffering in our modern world is that our lives are too complicated.<\/p>\n These days, we have to jump through hoops to keep important parts of our lives running. Finding a new doctor, figuring out how much we owe in taxes, and trying to contact the DMV can feel like rocket science.<\/p>\n It all makes me wonder why we tolerate these complications in the first place. Is it even possible to make life easier for ourselves?<\/p>\n From the false promise of ease to self-optimization, here are just a few reasons that life feels so complicated:<\/p>\n How often have you bought something that promised to make your life easier, only to let it collect dust in the back of a cupboard?<\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019ve been sucked in by guarantees such as:<\/p>\n \u201cThis cream will make your skin look better in 7 days.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis book will singlehandedly change your life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThis water bottle will make your life better than this other water bottle.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n We buy and accumulate things that promise to make our lives easier, yet our lives become more complicated as we try to manage them all.<\/p>\n Plus, when presented with so many options, we\u2019re left with analysis paralysis. Perhaps an electric kettle will make your life easier, but you have to decide which one out of 100 options to purchase.<\/p>\n To avoid the false promise of ease, you have to become more mindful of what you consume, buy, listen to, and engage with.<\/strong><\/p>\n Unfortunately, our modern world makes this incredibly difficult. We always have to think<\/em> about what we\u2019re consuming, which brings me to my next point.<\/p>\n Writer Karla Starr talks about the unique complexities of our modern world that make life inconvenient. She says<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s messy and tiring and exhausting isn\u2019t just work, it\u2019s home life, paying bills and getting groceries [\u2026] It\u2019s climate change and getting out the A\/C in March, having a trip cancelled because of a hurricane, remembering your reusable bags in the car, paying $5 for celery, forgetting your frequent shopper card, managing parental controls on electronics, and reading conflicting studies about everything you\u2019ve ever eaten.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Mental load is the \u2018thinking\u2019 work you do daily to keep things running. It\u2019s often used to describe the thinking that goes into running a household, a weight that tends to fall onto a woman\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n Mental load is thinking about the to-do list in your head, writing it down on a piece of paper, and then having to do the work on the to-do list. Meanwhile, you\u2019ve got another to-do list for something else happening in your head simultaneously.<\/p>\n We all experience this mental weight in some way or another, and it\u2019s exhausting because it never really ends. You can deplete your energy on the thinking<\/em> side of things before you even try to do anything.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the solution?<\/p>\n Some might say we need to systematize our lives to make things easier. Tiago Forte\u2019s Second Brain<\/a>, where you outsource everything in your head to a digital database, is an example of systematizing your life.<\/p>\n While this can be helpful, it\u2019s one more thing to think about. Surely our brains should be able to keep up on their own? Or perhaps it\u2019s a sign that it\u2019s all too much.<\/p>\n On the topic of systematizing our lives, we\u2019re also told to optimize every aspect of the human experience.<\/p>\n Author Anne Helen Petersen writes<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cDomestic work is now supposed to check a never-ending number of aspirational boxes: Outings should be \u201cexperiences,\u201d food should be healthy and homemade and fun, bodies should be sculpted, wrinkles should be minimized, clothes should be cute and fashionable, sleep should be regulated, relationships should be healthy, the news should be read and processed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Everything \u201cshould\u201d be the best it can possibly be, or you\u2019re not enjoying life to the fullest.<\/p>\n Perhaps you\u2019ve heard of the term \u2018biohacking,\u2019 which means using things like light therapy, supplements, or fitness trackers to enhance your physical or mental performance. Rather than spending time in the sun, you can \u2018hack\u2019 the system by shining a lightbox at your face.<\/p>\n When we try to optimize our lives, we\u2019re often met with conflicting information. One health expert may say bananas are healthy, while another says bananas are terrible for your metabolism. This only makes life feel more complicated.<\/p>\n The real problem with trying to optimize the human experience is that we\u2019re saying that we need to solve all of our problems\u2026and fast.<\/p>\n But is the goal really to be problem-free? What if we could find ways to enjoy life without changing every aspect of it?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Perhaps this mindset would stop us from accumulating too much stuff, overwhelming our brains, and shaming ourselves for not having lives \u2018perfect\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n If we\u2019re suffering because of how complicated life is, how can we make it just a little bit simpler? Here are a few options to ease the burden you might be feeling:<\/p>\n We\u2019re told to focus on what we want and pursue it at all costs, but there are many benefits to letting go.<\/p>\n In order to get what you want, you have to make room for it in your life. This can involve letting go of things you thought you needed.<\/p>\n Physical items are an obvious place to start, but clearing your mental and emotional spaces (through meditation, therapy, or journaling) is necessary, too.<\/p>\n Read next: How to Let Go of What Doesn\u2019t Serve You<\/a><\/p>\n An open loop is an unfinished commitment. It\u2019s essentially when you know you need to do something but you let it bounce around in your brain instead. Closing open loops will reduce your mental load, and I\u2019ve written about the concept here<\/a> if you want to learn more.<\/p>\n To close open loops, start by identifying one thing that\u2019s lingering in the back of your head. Is there a nagging thought that\u2019s draining your energy (whether mentally, physically, or emotionally)? Decide if you can either eliminate it from your headspace or take action on it in the next 24 hours.<\/p>\n The internet and social media play a big part in the complexity of our daily lives. While they offer us many benefits, they\u2019re also addictive and keep us stuck scrolling through the thoughts and ideas of others.<\/p>\n Come back to yourself often so you\u2019re not spending all your time in a false reality. Embrace quiet moments<\/a>, go offline once a week<\/a>, or try a new hobby that doesn\u2019t involve scrolling.<\/p>\nWhy is life so complicated?<\/h2>\n
Reason 1: The false promise of ease<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theblissfulmind.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/life-is-complex-01.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nReason 2: The mental load<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theblissfulmind.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/life-is-complex-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nReason 3: The optimization of human experiences<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theblissfulmind.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/life-is-complex-03.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nHow to make life a little less complicated<\/h2>\n
Eliminate rather than accumulate.<\/h3>\n
Close your open loops.<\/h3>\n
Take a break from the online world.<\/h3>\n
Focus on what\u2019s easy.<\/h3>\n