It’s no secret that our lives are hectic.
There are so many things to do, all the time. Work, errands, social engagements, exercise, cooking, taking care of loved ones – it’s no wonder that our minds spiral out of control at times and we lose the sensation of happiness and contentment.
However, there is a secret to obtaining inner peace despite the busy and chaotic nature of our lives.
By definition, inner peace is state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress.
Main causes of stress often arise from work, financial problems, personal relationships and health issues. However, the root of the stress stems from the perception or attitude in our minds toward a circumstance, not the circumstance itself.
This is a powerful concept because whether the issue is caused from internal or external factors, as human individuals we have complete control about how we think about and act in relation to situations in our lives.
As Brian Tracy notes, we can only hold one conscious thought in our mind at a time, either positive or negative. And, we are happy to the exact degree to which we feel in control of our lives. The less control we perceive we have, the less happiness we feel.
Therefore, if we have control over our thoughts and can only hold one thought in our mind at a time, the secret to obtaining inner peace is to choose to think about things in a positive, productive way. So, you might be thinking, how do I achieve this?
Both external and internal factors cause us stress. In either case, we internalize the issue by worrying and we are in a state of unrest. In order to manifest inner peace in your life, you must first disassociate yourself from the issue and separate your thoughts from your reality.
5 Steps to Inner Peace
- Write a list of all the internal and external factors that case your fear, worry and anxiety. You must literally get them “out” of your mind and onto paper.
- Then, take each item one by one and ask yourself questions such as, “Why does this issue bother me? What am I afraid of?”
- Next, after you’ve identified and written down these answers, ask yourself, “What is the worst case scenario if this fear were to become a reality?” If there are still more fears, ask yourself again, “Then what would I do about it?” Through this process, most likely you will find that you will be able to deal with the worst case scenario in some way.
- Create an action plan to take control over the thoughts causing you stress. Choose to replace the negative with positive thoughts about the person or situation. Write down goals and affirmations about things you want to manifest into your life. Tape them to your bathroom mirror so you can see them every day. Read the goals out loud to yourself and visualize them as if they were already true. By focusing on the positive, reading your goals and visualizing them, you will be surprised just how quickly your attitude changes.
- Do what makes you happy. Whether it is taking a nature walk, reading a book, taking a bath with aromatherapy candles or simply having a dinner with your best friend, consciously choose to engage with people and activities that generate happiness for you to promote a feeling of inner peace.
Life will continue to throw curve balls your way. Your kid will throw a tantrum, you’ll make a mistake at work or you’ll get into a fight with your partner. However, it’s all about how you manage your thoughts after the situation occurs. You get to choose how you think about and react to each situation.
Inner peace is a choice – a choice that only you can control.
