I bet you, like many other Americans and people around the world, think your life is crazy. The general society that many people live in today functions at a high pace, creating a culture of movement and speed. However, with the prevalence of a high functioning society comes constant changes.

Examples of changes even in the last 10 years are evident all throughout our community, even in the small things: the increase of security in American airports, introduction of smartphones, increased connectivity due to the advances in technology, the rise of new diseases and the extinction of older ones, the prevalence of the phenomenon of life coaches, the rise of social media, and many many more (you can read about there here).

Looking at all these changes, we can even come to this ironic conclusion: changes seem to be the only constant in our lives.

This causes us to be in an always constant state of mind that forces us to rush through things rather than to reflect and be present and in the moment. Living in this way forces us to not only be always thinking beyond the present moment, but also raises our stress levels. Americans, in general, have reported a 44% increase in stress levels, and affecting our stress levels as a generation. Not just adults, but kids are also affected by this: only 14% of kids say that their parents' stress don’t bother them.

With all this stress in our high paced society, how do we find solace and peace? This idea has been explored by many many different doctors, artists, and even YouTube bloggers. With so many claims that slowing down is the solution to happiness, the question of how we keep our lifestyles productive and happy without having to give up activities that you love most still remains. However, small changes make a huge difference.

Much like getting an extra half an hour of sleep or going out of your way to be nice to one extra person a day, little things accumulate and become the foundation we set our lives on. This is why you should have a cup of coffee every day- creating rituals in your day, whether it is having a cup of coffee, conversing with your little sister, brushing your teeth with your significant other, or making pancakes every Sunday morning - helps us recenter ourselves and create a foundation on which our lives can be built on, creating a purpose that holds us down throughout our high stress life.