Peace is something we all should strive for. Peace within ourselves, with conflict and loss. Sometimes we need immediate peace, while other times it’s more of a journey. Many areas of life can cause stress and cause us to become mentally imbalanced. It’s impossible to go through life without difficult situations. But it’s not impossible to get through those times. With peace as your weapon of choice, you can get through just about anything and regain your mental stability.
I struggle with finding inner peace a lot of the time. Almost every day in fact. It’s easy for me to get wound up and feel as if I’ve got nowhere else to go. It’s conflicting because in a way it’s easier for me to be at war with myself than to do positive things to get me balanced again.
The good news is that inner peace is something we can work on. Finding inner peace can become a part of your lifestyle with practice. To get going in the right direction, it’s important to understand what inner peace means and what keeps you from finding it.
What is inner peace?
Inner peace refers to the state of being calm despite the stressors surrounding you. It’s a calm state of mind. You can be at peace with yourself or with a situation that didn’t work out how you hoped it would. In a way, it’s like coming to terms with the things you can’t change. Not letting them get to you in a way that causes you distress.
Why is inner peace important?
Inner peace is a big part of self-care. If you never feel at peace and often feel on edge, how does that make you feel? Not great at all! Inner peace is important as it allows us to feel a sense of freedom. It allows us to breathe easy and enjoy life more each day.
Having inner peace helps keep anxiety and stress under control as it keeps you from having so many worries. You become a better person not only to yourself, but to others as well.
Think about the last time you kept a big secret from someone you care about. A secret you were too ashamed to come clean on. When you built up the courage to finally spill the tea and be honest, how did you feel after? Hopefully like a big weight was lifted off your shoulders. Those feelings of release and relief derive from the peace that entered your mind once you let go of the secret that was burdening you.
What keeps us from finding inner peace?
I stumbled upon a blog post that talked about different beliefs we need to let go of in order to find inner peace. Immediately, I recognized that some of the beliefs mentioned on this post are things I literally say to myself on a regular basis. Click here if you would like to read that post. Below are the beliefs that stuck out to me:
- “I need to be doing something right now.”
- “When I get what I want I will be happy.”
- “If I express my emotions honestly, people will think I’m weak.”
- “If people knew the real me, they wouldn’t like me.”
We’re our own worst critic, our biggest enemy, and the maker or breaker of our happiness. These words I say and think to myself are hurtful and keep me from being at peace. The sentences above have nothing to do with anyone else but have everything to do with how I feel about myself.
Other obstacles that can block us from finding peace are feeling the need to please everyone, refusing to accept the things we can’t change, and lack of self-worth.
Check out my Choosing to Series – Letting it Go post for some tips that can be useful for finding inner peace.
How to find inner peace
If you’ve made it this far, then you probably have an idea on what it takes to find inner peace. There is no sure-fire formula for finding peace and it won’t happen overnight. However, here are some tips to get you on the right track:
- Accept the fact there are some things you can’t change
- Build your self confidence
- Find things that make you happy and keep them around
- Find time in your day to meditate, pray, or journal
- Embrace and accept your flaws
- Find something to love in every day
- Hold yourself accountable for your actions
No one is perfect. There is no way to eliminate all negative thoughts and live happily every single day. The important thing is to simply give it your best shot and remember you’re in control of your happiness. It’s normal to be upset and fight battles every once in a while. The great thing about inner peace is it allows you to handle those bad days and difficult situations in a more controlled way.
Try to find some peace in your life. Be patient with yourself and practice, practice, practice!
Until next time,
April at Choosing to Bloom
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