Inner peace is possible; you do not need to break the bank for a wellness retreat or meditate on a mountaintop to find it. You can tap into it anytime, anywhere.
Carving out time to relax is terrific, but amid the frantic pace of daily life when we need serenity the most: That moment when you are stuck in traffic, and you are very late for work, and your phone starts ringing? That is when you need to find inner peace within yourself as you suppress the urge to unleash a stream of four-letter words.
“Mankind has long suffered—innocently, unknowingly—from a mistaken belief that runs so contrary to human nature that it obliterates the natural trajectory of human life. Thus, human life unfolds, not directed by feelings, but according to the dictates of an artificial order imposed by institutions,” says Chet Shupe, the author of the civilization on inner peace of Rediscovering the Wisdom Of Human Nature. This is an insightful, honest, and intriguing read about the impact of culture on inner peace and happiness.
Peace of mind does not require peace and quiet.
Have you ever been scuba diving or watched an excellent deep-sea documentary? The sea’s tide brings the drama when it crashes against the shore, but go a few meters down, and you will find a restful world of creatures living at their own pace, totally unfazed by the action above.
Breathe in and breathe out. Your breath is always with you. Both meditation and yoga practices gear the power of breath control to help refocus your state of mind. Davis recommends practicing the 4-7-8 breath, based on a time-tested yoga manner because you can do it anytime and anywhere. With your mouth closed, inhale through your nose as you count to four. Hold onto that breath and count to seven, and then exhale through your mouth and count to eight. These long exhale aids stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, initiating a relaxation response in your body. Make sure to breathe low to fill your belly with air.
Feel the truth that you are safe and loved. Remind yourself that you are breathing. And hopefully, you are physically protected. Think about the individuals you care about and those who care about you. Let the truth of that truly lighten your heart.
Visualize your happy place. This is one of the micro-practices that becomes easier the more you do it; the more substantial your visualization, the more effective it is. It is okay if it takes you a while to determine your go-to happy place. You can picture your bedroom under your covers or the ocean, a lake view, being on a favorite vacation, playing with your pet, or being with someone you love. Access to these vivid memories will cue your body to feel like you are there, relaxing you.
Read the story you are telling yourself. If you ever find yourself spiraling over a perceived frustration, disappointment, or panic-inducing thought, try stepping back to evaluate whether what your brain is telling you is accurate. Assessing the source of your turmoil can make it feel more diminutive in size.
Practice acceptance. In the more extensive pursuit of learning to access your inner peace, accepting the existence of things that are out of your control is the long-term goal, difficult as it may be. When we resist our circumstances, we create a lot of suffering, which is the opposite of inner peace. It is a challenging process, and one your brain may resist on impulse at first. That is why it is called “practice”—you may not nail it the first, 15th, or 50th time, which is normal.
Maintain good self-care hygiene. Eating right, getting plenty of sleep, exercising, meditating, and practicing the “mindfulness daily life activities” can all shore up your mental-peace defenses for when all hell breaks loose (in your world or your head).
Serve others to help yourself, too. Everybody knows that when you help other people, you feel better. Those in the field of positive psychology believe that the good feelings that come from significant acts cultivate something they have deemed eudaimonic well-being.
In Closing
Inner peace is about developing “the pause” so that when you feel yourself reacting to a situation, you are better prepared to respond more calmly.
The Happy Hammock 