Let’s be honest. Life can be complicated most of the time. At its worse, it’s stressful, exhausting, and difficult to understand. Granted, this isn't the absolute rule, but chances are you can relate to this. Think about how you spend your typical day. Is it happy-go-lucky and carefree or do you feel pressure most of the time? How many decisions are you faced with on a daily basis? Do you stress about every single one of them?

It’s time to take control of your life! You deserve better. Nobody should have a complicated, stressful life when it isn’t necessary. If you accept that you deserve better, that you shouldn't stress needlessly, your life will take on a more simplistic and more enjoyable aspect. So, what can you do to take control of your life and stop stressing? Take a look below.

"Care less and you'll stress less."

The trick to living a simpler and better life has nothing to do with thinking positively, with smiling, or with meditating. Don’t expect that sort of advice here. Self-love means caring about yourself. The truth is, if you want self improvement and happiness in your life you need to have the confidence to stop caring about so many little things.

You’re probably thinking that this sounds like the opposite of everything you’ve ever heard and you’re right. Author Mark Manson writes about this concept in his book. There are only so many things in life that you can possibly care about. Stop caring about the things that don’t matter.

"Going back to a simpler life is not a step backward." - Yvon Chouinard

Think about all of those so-called stressful decisions you make every day. Really think about them. Is your happiness truly bound to finding the perfect dress, taking a better vacation than your friends, or even buying the latest cell phone? No, it isn’t.

In your quest for self improvement, have the confidence to reassess your decisions- to decide for yourself what is important and what isn’t. Self-love is not about making sure you have the best of everything that the market offers, so why are you made to feel this way? One quote from Mark Manson’s book explains it perfectly, because caring a lot "about more stuff is good for business.”

“It's only by saying 'no' that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.”- Steve Jobs

How do you follow this advice? How do you stop caring about the things that don’t matter much? Turns out, finding happiness through a simpler life is all about saying, “No”. Focus on your relationship with yourself. Look deep down inside of yourself, find the magic word, and make it part of your daily communication. Try saying "no" to everything, with some very carefully-considered exceptions.  You’ll find that your life becomes much simpler after employing this practice.

“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” - Dalai Lama

Happiness comes from living a simpler life. As you work toward achieving this goal, remember that every decision you make has a consequence. Caring about fewer things and saying "no" more often does not mean that you should not practice kindness. Living more intentionally is just the opposite. Plan out your life, but know that everything you do will affect someone else. Your power to change somebody’s life is in your communication, your actions, and your decisions. Incorporate simple changes in your life that promote kindness. Remember, simply smiling at a stranger could be enough to change their entire day.

By caring less, learning to say no, and incorporating more kindness into your daily life, you’ll be well on your way to a simpler and better life.