If you’re here, you probably want to know how you can find your inner peace.
And I am here to tell you how you can do that.
Let me ask you something-
What does Inner Peace mean to you?
Does it mean the absence of all stressful emotions arising within you? Or do you view it as a state that you arrive at when you have gotten rid of all your problems.
I am no expert, but I would say that inner peace is a state of mental serenity and calmness that you have despite the presence of stressors. It means being “at peace” no matter what the circumstances are in your life. Bliss, happiness and joy are all associated with your inner peace. Inner peace does not mean being in place where there is no noise, where there is no stress, where there is no challenges and where there is no difficulties. It means to be in the midst of mayhem and still staying calm, focused and composed.
In this modern world of fast-paced living, finding our inner peace is a challenging task. There are 101 things that we constantly worry about. Most of us have a hectic work-life, where we just can’t find the balance between the two. We don’t have the time to have breakfast in the morning, otherwise we’ll be late for work. At work, your lunch hour gets shorter, as you have to rush to a meeting within a few minutes. In the weekend, you have to work on an important project report for your boss that will be due on the following Monday. With all this chaos going on, you just say- maybe when I’ll retire then I will go on a vacation.
But, let me tell you, there are ways that we can use to maintain our inner peace even amidst the chaos.
Choosing to be at peace is your choice. It might be difficult to that in the beginning, but once you commit to it, it can become a part of your lifestyle, which puts you at another level of being the best version of yourself. Inner peace is in itself a lifetime commitment. Its lifelong journey which can be improved, depending on your lifestyle. I call this improvement- the training of the mind.
I admit, that I as well, have faced issues with maintaining my inner peace, especially during stressful situations. No, I am not a pro yet in this area. But I know of some ways which I can follow and become a pro at maintaining my inner peace.
And that’s what I am going to share with you, right here in this post.
With all kinds of problems and miseries surrounding us let’s unlock our inner peace.
1. Be True to Yourself
The only thing that brings our inner peace is our own inner value.
Making decisions about what’s important to you, comes only when you have a sense of inner value.
Our choices shape our life and destiny. It’s our reaction to things in life that affects our inner peace. So be careful, of the choices you make.
Do the work that you love, live the life that you love. Even if difficulties come your way, you will find a way to rise above it because you are true to yourself.
Happiness is when what you do, what you say and what you think are in harmony.
2.Do Good Deeds
To do good deeds is a man’s most glorious task.
Doing good deeds helps you to feel good and gives you an inner sense of satisfaction because you know you have done the right thing.
Remember a simple mantra: Do Good. And goodness will come to you.
Whenever you help someone who genuinely needs its, your reservoir of inner peace rises. You feel a unique kind of happiness within.
3. Maintain Good Self-Care- Enjoy “Me-Time”
Make an appointment with yourself and take care and nourish your mind, body and soul.
Spend some time alone doing something you love. It could be listening to the song you love or watching that movie which you always wanted to watch. Let me tell you a way of even making this more fun and pleasurable- light some scented candles or incense sticks. That fragrance will make your mind more relaxed and will just savor every moment.
Why not treat yourself to a mini spa right at home. Pamper yourself in a creative way. It can be very relaxing and satisfying. If you enjoy meditation, why not turn on some meditational music to make your experience more memorable. Find a relaxation therapy that works best for you. It can be yoga, nature walks, long drive, reading or maybe cooking.
The fact is that if your feel exhausted and burned out, it’s best that you withdraw and restore yourself.
Do more of what makes you happy.
4. Forgive and Forget
To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.
Maya Angelou says – “It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.” There are times when we get upset with someone or even our self. However, it’s for our own benefit that we forgive and move on. You can’t carry the burden of not forgiving all your life. If someone has done something really horrible, then know that karma will get them one day. Because what goes around comes around. But forgiving them doesn’t mean that you don’t do your part in getting justice.
You deserve peace, so it’s advisable to just forgive and forget.
Here’s another useful tip: Don’t get into unnecessary arguments- it disrupts your peace of mind. Arguing with stupid people is like trying to kill a mosquito on cheek. You may or may not kill, but you will slap yourself.
5. Don’t Procrastinate
Procrastination is one of the most popular forms of self-sabotage.
It is an enemy of success and time.
You will never get anything done if you are prone to procrastination. This will be a constant source of worry for you.
And you cannot have inner peace if your life is in a mess. To get yourself on track, do one thing at a time. Divide your task into small manageable parts and take action on them individually. Slowly you will built up the momentum and complete whatever you were supposed to do.
6. Attachment leads to Suffering
This philosophy is in fact a very important of part of Buddhism (not trying to promote any religion).
Gautama Buddha says- “The root of suffering is attachment.”
Suffering comes in our life in many forms. We suffer because we attach ourselves to thing, which are temporary, and beyond our control. We ignore the fundamental truth about life: that change is inevitable. Things will come and go from your life. That’s the process. What you have today, may disappear tomorrow. If you attach yourself to these external phenomenon’s, you are bound to get distressed, as you don’t have control over each and everything in the universe. The wise approach to solve this problem is just to live in the moment and have a deep appreciation for it. Accept the fact that nothing that you have will last forever. Practice detachment. Detachment doesn’t mean that you just leave everything and go and meditate in a cave or something. True detachment means living in the midst of everything and realizing that none of those things is permanent. Hence, our sense of dependency on them reduces.
Gautama Buddha says in the Dhammapada (the collection Buddha’s teaching) that-
The good renounce (attachment for) everything. The virtuous do not prattle with a yearning for pleasures. The wise show no elation or depression when touched by happiness or sorrow.
We learn from these teachings that we should not let our inner peace be controlled by external circumstances, and then only we will be able to maintain our peace of mind in all situations.
7. Go on a Digital Detoxification
Our lives revolve around our smart devices these days.
Technology has crept inside nearly every part of our lives. Without technology, we wouldn’t be able to do most of the things that we do everyday.
However, we must create a better relationship with our smart devices, if we want to explore other parts of our life. We need time to live life. There’s more to life than just staring at the screen for hours- you know.
It’s important to take off time from our devices for a brief time if we want to enjoy time with ourselves. Improved sleep experience, a healthy work-life balance, better mental health and well-maintained eyesight are just some wonders of digital detox.
Just put the phone away the next time you eat, and just enjoy whatever you’re eating. Digital detox helps us to enjoy those moments of life that we just might be missing or simply ignoring. And enjoying the little things of life promotes a sense of inner peace.
8. Don’t accept someone else’s definition of You
If you care too much of what other people think about you then you always will be their prisoner.
It’s important to consider other people’s advice, but don’t let anyone and everyone define you and dictate your life.
Don’t let anyone’s insensitive behaviour ruin your inner peace. When someone tries to put you down stay firm. Ignore them. Learning to ignore certain things in life can open the doors to inner peace.
9. Learn to stay Calm
The greater the level of calmness of our mind, the greater our peace of mind, the greater our ability to enjoy a happy and joyful life.
Calmness is like a superpower. When you don’t overreact to circumstances, you have the power to keep your mind calm and your inner self at peace. The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.
Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.
One of the most useful ways that I find helpful in practicing calmness is to slow down and just live in the moment. Another way that is also useful in promoting a calm mind is simplifying life. Simplicity will bring clarity. And clarity will give you calmness.
Well, that’s all from my side. But before I end this discussion, let me remind you of something very important:
If you have inner peace, you will create outer peace. The inner creates the outer.
Stay peaceful and enjoy life.