How to Be Carefree

Co-authored by Jennifer Butler, MSW

Last Updated: October 20, 2023 Approved

People seem to spend more time than ever worrying. If you feel like your stress rules your life, you can learn to relax actively and start living your life, instead of enduring it. Living carefree means enjoying a life where these worries do not overwhelm you. Learn how to get active, manage your stress, and stay carefree.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Being Carefree

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1
Do things because you want to do them. If you decide to do something because you want to do it, you'll be able to stay a lot more carefree about the task itself. If you feel like you're forced into your job, or that you're forced to have to go to the gym, those things will become chores. If you treat them as opportunities, they'll be fun. Make the choice to do them.
- Changing your attitude doesn't have to be complicated, or require a lot of complex psychology. If you want to do something, do it. If you don't, find a way to make it work for you, or cut it from your life. Sometimes it's that simple.
- Hate your job? Quit and get another one. Sick of the town you live in? Move. If something isn't supporting you or helping you live a happy, carefree life, make a change.
2
Make yourself smile and laugh regularly. It may sound silly, but you will feel so much happier when you smile widely at a friend or a random stranger and they smile back. You will feel a lot lighter if you laugh as well. Laugh at whatever you find funny, even if the people around you don't see the humor.
- Being carefree doesn't mean you should be a laughing fool. Taking a funeral or a memorial service lightly isn't appropriate. It's still important to stay tactful.
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3
Take things less seriously. Just look out the window and you'll likely see something ridiculous. You're a human who lives in a little box plugged into a computer box. Someone walking dogs around the neighborhood and picking up their poop and carrying it with them. How weird! Try to remember that life should be something to laugh at, and something to appreciate. It's not something to endure.
- Don’t get stuck on the small details. Instead, focus on the big picture and consider what is really important when you put it into context.
Worrying about your past mistakes will leave you stressed. Instead, embrace the potential of your life. Who cares if people don't like the you? You can change over time and become a new person or find new friends. You could move to another country and within 10 years you would have new friends and think in a new language, you would be a new person. Anything can happen.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Enjoying Life

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1
Keep your work time and fun time separate. Life doesn't have to be a slog. If you want to figure out how to be more carefree in your daily life, it's important to make time for fun and to keep it. Most people schedule their day around work or school. It's unavoidable for most of us. In the same way you schedule this time, schedule time for the things you want to do as well.
- As you get busier, it can be too easy to use the free time you have to do nothing. Cue up the Netflix. Instead, start actively planning out leisure activities. Schedule in a fishing trip for next weekend, or book reservations to take your partner on a date. Make a point of making time for fun.^{[1]
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- Keep a planner so you can stay organized. Write down your deadlines and events for each day so you can worry less.
2
Socialize with fun people. Surround yourself with people that you enjoy being around, and who make your life easier and more fun, as opposed to more stressful. If you want to be carefree, it's important to be around people who have common goals. Social time should be easy, not a chore.
- Don't let "downers" drag you down with them. Only make a point of socializing with people who will support each other and who want to have a good time with the time you have. This kind of attitude is infectious.
- If you're in a relationship where there is less freedom to be yourself, it's worth examining whether that's making you into the type of person you'd prefer not to be.^{[2]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Jennifer Butler, MSW
  Love & Empowerment Coach
  
  Expert Interview. 31 July 2020.}
3
Turn chores into adventures. Even mundane things like shopping, driving, and going to work should be causes for celebration in a carefree life. If you're going out and doing something, treat it like the biggest adventure that you'll have today. If you can't spend today scuba diving in Hawaii, at least you can spend it adventuring on public transportation!
- Heading out to the grocery store? Give yourself a little challenge. Decide that you'll take five pictures of ridiculous things that you see on your walk and text them to people on your phone you haven't talked to in forever. Just send them the picture and say, "Reminded me of you."
- Stuck in the house cleaning? Blast the music and do a Risky Business dance routine, or give yourself the challenge of rearranging the whole house, just because.
4
Go outside more. Some studies show that increasing the amount of natural Vitamin D you get from sunlight can boost your serotonin levels, helping you to feel less stressed and more carefree.^{[3]
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Research source} Even if you don't have any particular reason to be outside, make a point of getting out in the sun and breathing the air for 15 or 20 minutes each day. This can do wonders for your mood.
- It's hard to be carefree when you're sitting around watching television and doing nothing. Don't trap yourself inside if you don't need to. Get outside and get active.
5
Exercise. Light exercise can induce a feeling of euphoria, improving your mood and helping you feel much more carefree. Sometimes called "runner's high," the exercise effect is a documented psychological phenomenon.^{[4]
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Trustworthy Source

American Psychological Association
Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists

Go to source} If you want to help yourself feel more carefree, try finding a regular exercise routine that works with your life.
- You don't have to go jumping into a marathon. Just try going on a 30-40 minute walk at a brisk pace after you get done working for the day, or start out your day with a walk before you settle in.^{[5]
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- Find competitive team sports that you enjoy, so you can have the thrill of competition and of socializing with some people aside from the benefits of exercise.
Every now and then, life calls for some serious leisure. If you want to be truly carefree, take the time to treat yourself. Just sit in the sun in the middle of the day with a cold drink. Don't let anyone bother you. Read your book on the couch with a hot cup of tea. Book a spa day. Just relax.^{[6]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Managing Stress

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1
Identify your stressors. Get out a piece of paper and write down everything that causes you to feel stress, or to feel overwhelmed. What people, places, and situations make you feel anxious? Try to be as comprehensive as possible, considering the times in your daily life that you feel like you can't be carefree.
- Who causes you to feel stressed out? A particular friend? A partner? A coworker? Try to cut as many of these stress-causers from your life as possible. If you can't, avoid them.
- Cut back on caffeine and other foods you eat that may lead to stress.
2
Stay ahead of your stress. Once you've identified the things that cause you to feel stressed out, Try to anticipate those situations and causes so you can avoid them if possible, and expect them if unavoidable. Everyone has to deal with stress as a part of their life. But if you can figure out a way to put stress in the back seat, you can be a lot more carefree.
- If you're headed into a busy day at work, you know it's going to be busy. Expect nothing less. That doesn't mean you have to feel stressed because of it. Just focus on getting through the day and getting finished.^{[7]
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- Try doing a short ritual with your stress list to Try to let it go. Tear it up. Look over your big stress causes one last time, then rip it into little pieces, or toss it into the fireplaces, or just throw it in the garbage. Or, alternatively, keep it with you in your pocket so you can remind yourself to stay ahead of things.
3
Stay ahead of your anger. When someone annoys you or is in a bad mood, the best thing to do isn't to walk away, it is to be the better person and remain polite. Conversations aren't about "winning" or "losing," they're about connecting with people. Eventually, this will become second nature, and you'll feel a lot lighter and better about yourself.
- If you feel yourself getting angry when you're provoked, just try the 10-second rule. Stop talking and just breathe for a full 10 seconds. If they stare at you, they stare. When you speak, say in a calm, even voice, "I don't want to get upset about this. Maybe we should talk another time."
4
Stop worrying about what other people think. Remember that the only person you need to impress is yourself. Friends may come and go, but you will always have who you are. If people are telling you to change how you are, they aren't important enough to you for you to take their opinion into account.^{[8]
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Trustworthy Source

HelpGuide
Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources.

Go to source}
- Be willing to listen when your friends offer good advice, however. If your close friends and trusted family members are telling you to change by stopping a bad habit, that is a different thing altogether.
5
Love how you look. That doesn't mean going to the hair salon or buying that ridiculously expensive pair of shoes. If you want to be carefree, learn to accept that you look a certain way and love that. You are a unique individual and one of your gifts is your unique appearance.
- If you are a bit larger than "normal," you can either accept that and know that you look fine or work out and get skinnier. If you're tall, don't look at how awful it is to be tall, look at the good things, like reaching the higher shelves and seeing over everyone's heads in a crowd.
- Fall in love with how you look in the mirror, whether that be cellulite, stretch marks, or anything else. When you love yourself and everything about your body, it's hard for others not to see you in that same way.^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Jennifer Butler, MSW
  Love & Empowerment Coach
  
  Expert Interview. 31 July 2020.}

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do I get a carefree attitude?

Jennifer Butler, MSW
Empowerment Coach
Jennifer Butler is a Love & Transformation Coach and the Owner of JennJoyCoaching, a life coaching business based in Miami, Florida, although Jennifer works with clients all over the world. Jennifer’s work centers around empowering women who are navigating any stage of the divorce or breakup process. She has over four years of life coaching experience. She is also the co-host of the Deep Chats Podcast along with Leah Morris and the host of season 2 “Divorce and Other Things You Can Handle” by Worthy. Her work has been featured in ESME, DivorceForce, and Divorced Girl Smiling. She received her Masters of Social Work (MSW) from New York University. She is also a Certified Health Coach, a Communications & Life Mastery Specialist, and a Certified Conscious Uncoupling and Calling in “the One” coach.

Jennifer Butler, MSW

Empowerment Coach

Expert Answer

Surround yourself with relationships where you're free to be yourself and can be as open, silly, or free with your emotions as you'd like. Think about what you desire most and put that out there. If you're craving affection, find people to give affection to. If you want to be hugged, hug somebody. Then those things will have a tendency to bounce back onto you.

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Question

How do I stay free from an unhealthy relationship?

Paul Chernyak, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
Paul Chernyak is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Chicago. He graduated from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2011.

Paul Chernyak, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Expert Answer

Try removing people from your life that are not contributing to your well-being and happiness. It may require you to drop people who no longer serve your best interests and find new ones who do.

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Question

How can I manage family stress so I can be carefree?

Paul Chernyak, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
Paul Chernyak is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Chicago. He graduated from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2011.

Paul Chernyak, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Expert Answer

First, determine specifically where the stress comes and write it down. Then try to eliminate that stress directly through delegating tasks or rearranging schedules, just to name a few ideas.

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Tips

Sit back relax and smile about something that makes you happy!

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Recognize no one can live completely carefree unless they are completely dependent on someone else, and that the person they are dependent on is capable of taking care of all of their needs. An example is an infant with a loving mother.

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Be positive and positive things will happen to you now and in the future

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