There’s something truly blissful about being at peace with yourself. Finding inner peace is no easy task, especially in a day and age where high-stress work environments and busy schedules keep us from enjoying all that life has to offer. Inner peace is an act of being. It takes time to reflect on yourself, your beliefs, and your joys in life while taking in all of the stimulations around you. If you’re stuck in a routine that makes you want to scream, pull your hair out, or just give up, finding your inner peace and coming to terms with what life throws your way will give you a new outlook on this world. Here are 5 ways you can start your journey to inner peace.
Practice Mindfulness
If you’ve never heard of mindfulness, then you’ve been missing out on one of the best ways to relax and improve your overall wellbeing. Mindfulness is the act of being aware of the present moment and acknowledging and accepting your thoughts, feelings, and emotions with no judgment or resentment. At first, sitting in complete silence with only your thoughts as your guest can be very difficult. However, dedicating 10 or more minutes a day where no outside distractors can disrupt your flow will allow you to let your thoughts run through your mind. This way, you can focus on the present without harping on the past or imagining the future.
Mindfulness has many proven health benefits, such as improved sleep, lower blood pressure, reduced stress, and an increase of gray matter in your brain. Other ways to tune into your bodily sensations include practicing yoga, stretching, or going through a peaceful walk through nature. If you really want to understand the energy you put out to the world, invest in an aura camera that will give you insight on the energy you put out to the world using high tech sensors!
Change Up Your Environment
Sometimes change is good. We know that sticking to what we’re used to and being familiar with our surroundings brings us comfort. However, sometimes our own environment can be the cause of our stress. Bring peace into your home by adding more natural light and creating open spaces for you, your family, and house guests to gather. An environment that encourages laughter and love will boost your mood and improve your relationships with the people closest to you.
Redesigning your home doesn’t have to be a huge renovation project that takes months to complete. Swap out dark or old furniture with bright couches, chairs, and rugs that add color to your home. Breathe new life into every room by adding floor plants or succulent boxes that add a splash of green and improve air quality. Indoor plants will do your home wonders by filtering out toxins and reducing stress!
Take a Vacation
Working nonstop and spending your weekends shuttling your kids around or going to events can wear you down. Being a workaholic will leave you feeling stressed and rundown all the time. It’s important to set work/home boundaries and to leave projects and tasks in the office so you can enjoy yourself and your family when you get home.
A good way to reset your mind and mentality is through a well-deserved vacation. Grab your ticket to zen by going to a tropical oasis to throw all your worries away. If sandy shores and sunny skies aren’t your destination of choice, take a safari ride through the African plains or an Australian adventure to explore the land down under. Taking a vacation can be an easy way for you to come to terms with yourself and explore this thing called Earth that we sometimes take for granted.
Be One with Nature
Horticulture has many healing powers that will improve your overall wellbeing. Spending your lazy Sundays or warm afternoons gardening will allow you to reflect on your day while bringing new life to our planet. When you garden, you take on a big load of responsibility. You have to nurture, water, and take care of your plants and flowers in order for them to grow to their full potential. Doing so will give you an appreciation for life as well as death, building a connection with other living things. And, the monotonous nature of weeding and trimming will allow thoughts to flow out of you while getting exercise that releases endorphins. Strenuous tasks such as shoveling or chopping down a tree will also allow you to let our stress and anger that has been building up inside!
Journaling
Writing down your thoughts, feelings, anger, stresses, and other emotions in a journal gives you the opportunity to express yourself with no judgment or hesitation. If you find yourself lying awake at night thinking about to-do lists, what’s to come, and things that happened in the past, journaling can ease these never-ending thoughts. So, grab your journal and begin writing away! Write bulleted lists for things you want to do, books you want to read, or recipes you want to try out. Or, let your emotions spill out on the page and write until you can no longer feel your hand!
The Bottom Line
Finding inner peace will turn your whole life around. Practicing these 5 strategies for achieving inner peace will leave you waking up with a smile on your face and a weight off your shoulders.