You will learn that many of my topics which I write about have their origins in my life experiences. I don’t write from theory, I write from my own struggles and self-learning.
Finding inner peace is possible. I feel many times finding my inner peace and living in it. So I feel honored guiding you to find your inner peace.
All living beings have the same basic wish to be happy and avoid suffering, but very few people understand the real causes of happiness and suffering. We generally believe that external conditions such as food, friends, cars, and money are the real causes of happiness, and as a result we devote nearly all our time and energy to acquiring these. Superficially it seems that these things can make us happy, but if we look more deeply we shall see that they also bring us a lot of suffering and problems.
We loss peace when we resist to things, hate things, become judgmental, want things, don’t want things, is unsettled, is restless, hates things, thinks must have in order to be okay. This type of mind is always in the quest seeking anything it doesn’t have and thinks has to get rid of things so it can finally be happy.
WHAT IS PEACE OF MIND?
In recent years our understanding and control of the external world have increased considerably, and as a result we have witnessed remarkable material progress; but there has not been a corresponding increase in human happiness. There is no less suffering in the world today, and there are no fewer problems. Indeed, it could be said that there are now more problems and greater unhappiness than ever before. This shows that the solution to our problems, and to those of society as a whole, does not lie in knowledge or control of the external world.
Why is this? Happiness and suffering are states of mind, and so their main causes cannot be found outside the mind.
The real source of happiness is inner peace. If our mind is peaceful, we shall be happy all the time, regardless of external conditions; but if it is disturbed or troubled in any way, we shall never be happy, no matter how good our external conditions may be.
External conditions can only make us happy if our mind is peaceful.
Cultivating Inner Peace and Happiness
This is what we can do to help us gain back our peace:
- Spend Time in Nature like taking short walks or appreciating nature, we reduce anxiety and depression and we increase the feelings of calmness and concentration.
- Meditate, enhances self -awareness, controls anxiety, reduces stress
- Be grateful. It is a Divine feeling that sparks more good feelings and peace.
- Take responsibility for our actions it creates trust, dependability and well-being.
- Don't let the past mistakes define who we are. We cannot change the past but we can allow it to change us for the better by healing and forgiving ourselves and others.
- Self- love is state of appreciation, taking care of our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and growth.
- Practice acceptance and contentment, feeling satisfied with the current state of our life, being at peace for who we are, and feeling comfortable for where we are in our life.
- Declutter, transfer your thoughts to paper, reduce multitasking, set and complete priorities, practice being decisive, journal and challenge negativity.
Other practices that helps us gain back our peace of mind:
Peace of mind doesn't require peace and quiet. The problem is most of us live sort of on the surface of the waves, where there's a lot of turbulence and wildness, but again, this deep, calm, awareness is actually within each person.
You don't need to shut out all the noise to find inner peace. There's this assumption that if you're in a quiet place, it will be more conducive to accessing this spot within. But, in fact, there are people who have panic attacks while they're on a massage table.
You could be on a New York city subway, surrounded by people and noise, and close your eyes to go into this space where your calmness resides.
Breathe in, breathe out. Your breath is always with you, and both yoga and meditation practices harness the power of breath control to help shift your state of mind. I like to recommend practicing the 4-7-8 breath, which is based on a time-tested yoga technique, because you can do it anywhere at any time.
Close your mouth and inhale through your nose as you count to four. Hold onto that breath as you count to seven, and then exhale through your mouth for the count of eight. The long exhale helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is basically initiating a relaxation response in your body. Make sure to breathe really low, to fill your belly with air.
Feel the truth that you’re safe and loved. Remind yourself that you’re breathing. And hopefully, you’re physically protected. Think about the people you care about, and the people who care about you, focusing on that can lower your panic-response. Let the truth of that warm your heart.
Visualize your happy place. This is another micro-practice that becomes easier the more you do it, and the stronger your visualization, the more effective it is.
You might want to picture the ocean, or your bedroom a lake view, playing with your pet, being with a loved one or maybe a favorite vacation. Then, try to really get all the details in your mind's eye, the smells, the sounds, the textures, the touch. Accessing these vivid memories will cue your body to start feeling like you're actually there, which will relax you,
Read the story you're telling yourself. If you find yourself spiraling over a perceived disappointment, frustration, or panic-inducing thought, try stepping back to assess whether what your brain is telling you is true. Examining the source of your turmoil can make it feel smaller in size.
Recognize what's happening. Label the emotion, because simply naming it calms down your over arousal.
Allow your situation to be there. You’re not resisting it, or trying to numb it and run away from it. You're allowing it to be there long enough to work with it.
Investigate. What most wants my attention? What am I believing? Where am I experiencing these feelings in my body can I put my hands on where I’m feeling it, and soften the area? All of this inquiry is done with love, not judgment."
Deeper self-compassion. Research shows that when you talk to yourself in the third person, you actually activate the care circuit in your brain so that you feel more cared for. You're accessing your higher self so that you can talk yourself off the ledge, and you feel more supported. So I would say, Ysabel, you're going to be okay. This is a really hard moment, but don't forget Ysabel you're not alone in this.
Make a "joy list" for when you need it later. While a compassionate inventory of how we are feeling is a powerful mindfulness exercise, ask ourselves “what do I need to do right now?” can remind us to lean on actions that tend to give us peace.
Just letting you fill you up for that moment of awe is enough to rewire your brain for happiness and resilience. We can do this multiple times a day, building up a joy reserve by just savoring those first sips of morning coffee, or the sound of a child giggling.
Cultivate gratitude for what's happening (and not happening). Practicing gratitude is another way to quickly access our state of inner peace. Habits like keeping a gratitude journal and smiling as soon as we sit up in bed in the morning signals our brain that things are good and that we are happy.
I'm glad it's air conditioned, I'm glad I have a seat! I'm glad I have a physically healthy body.' One small positive thought often sparks another.
I'm glad it's air conditioned, I'm glad I have a seat! I'm glad I have a physically healthy body.' One small positive thought often sparks another.
Ask yourself two questions daily. Your gratitude journal entries don’t need to be lengthy reflections, like some burdensome daily homework assignment. Instead, use these two simple prompts to list an item or two for each: What did I enjoy today? and What am I grateful for today? Maybe you did something that's on your Joy List, for example.
Serve others to help yourself, too. Over decades, researchers find that in the long term, the happiness that people feel from doing something like volunteering or making someone else feel good is rewarding, and longer-lasting. Thus, building up a reserve of happiness through acts of service could potentially up your general inner-peace baseline.
Practice acceptance. To access our inner peace, we have to accept the existence of things that are out of our control as the long-term goal, as difficult as it may be. Acceptance is an overall way of engaging with life.
When we resist our circumstances we create a lot of suffering, which of course is the opposite of inner peace. And at the second you start going with the flow and putting yourself in alignment with what is, you immediately start to have a sense of flowing with rather than flowing against.
In terms of a practice, I might say to someone when is in a situation like in a long grocery line and is getting late for something, and start feeling stressed. Just stop, drop into your heart space and say:
“This is what I've got.
This is where I am.
I'm just going to flow with this.
And I'm going to look for an opportunity now to just practice patience, and practice self-compassion.
I know this is hard and I wish the line could be faster, I wish I wasn't in this line, but I am.
It's okay, and I'm okay”.
