Tools & Tips To Improve Yourself
6 Steps to Finding Your Inner Peace
If you want to be mentally and spiritually at peace, you need to know who you are, how you fit into the world, and your values. In addition, you also need to understand what you can and cannot control, as well as what is and is not important at the moment.
1. Know Your Core Principles and Values
If you know who you are and what you stand for, you can more easily make good decisions in your life. From choosing a career to a spouse and all the choices in between and beyond, having a basis for which you categorize your decisions will make all the difference.
2. Relax and Self-Soothe Daily
Everyone has something they do to self-soothe or relax when stressed. Some rub a foot on the sheets, drink a warm beverage, read, chew gum, hum, meditate, walk, hike, take a warm shower, participate in a hobby, or something else. Look back at your childhood to help you identify what you do naturally to self-soothe and relax, in both public and private environments.
3. Put Things into Perspective
When something is particularly stressful, ask yourself whether it will really matter, in the big scheme of things. Is a momentary event brought on by a lack of sleep or poor health habits? Do other people seem to be stressed about the same thing, as well? Talk with trusted friends to help you get to the underlying causes and put things in perspective.
4. Repair Your Environment
Believe it or not, clutter and a disorganized environment can cause or add to your feelings of discontentment and interfere with achieving inner peace. Even if you don’t want to clean up, find someone who will help you do it. When you set up your environment to be peaceful and take small steps each day to maintain that environment, you are more likely to feel calm, peaceful, and at ease in the world.
5. Contribute to Your Community
For good health, you need to interact with others in your community. If you don’t interact with others enough, you can lead to feeling grumpy, dissatisfied, and loneliness. Even if you don’t like crowds, you can choose to contribute to your community in small-group or one-on-one situations. Find a cause that touches your heart and offer to help in a capacity that is comfortable and rewarding to you, as well as others, to gain and give inner peace.
6. Understand the Value of Acceptance
Acceptance doesn’t mean that you agree with someone or the situation. It only means that you acknowledge facts, thoughts, opinions, and situations exist. There is no judgement, right or wrong. There is simply an attitude of “it exists.” When you accept things, people, and situations as-is, it’s easier to find and maintain your inner peace despite stressful situations and negative people.
Knowing how to find your inner peace can help you in every area of life. It’s like riding a bike. Once you know how, you never totally forget it. You may need reminders and a little practice to get up to your previous speed, but you will get the hang of it quickly. When you’ve learned how to walk through the most stressful times and come out on top, it’s easier to pick up where you left off and regain your inner peace.
