And help contribute to a better world!
It seems that as human beings we have
been searching for inner peace for thousands of years. And I suppose the best
way to describe Inner Peace is – the
absence of stress and anxiety.
Inner peace
is being fully present in the now, not reliving what has gone on in the past or
worrying about what might happen in the future. It might seem more and more
difficult to find inner peace in a time of constant stimulation and times of
stress and everyday pressures that spike your cortisol and adrenaline (your
fight or flight hormones), there are ways that you can help yourselves to create
your state of serenity.
Here are five Self Help tools that are
simple to implement and are pretty much proven to boost your Inner Peace:
1.
Exercise
If we
agree that Inner peace is the absence of stress and anxiety. It is widely accepted
these days that exercise in almost any form can act as a stress reliever. Being
active will boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from the worries going
around in your head.
Exercising helps you because exercise
- increases your endorphins, your feel-good hormones
- acting as meditation in motion because it helps you to zone out.
- improves your mood, making you feel better and more positive
Exercise
is one of the best ways to change your mental state by replacing negativity
with positivity. You don’t have to start training for a marathon to benefit
from physical activity either! Any type of movement will provide you with a
greater sense of peace. The important thing is that you find some form of
movement that you like.
Movement for you might be practicing yoga and the breathing techniques that go with the poses, working in the garden, going for a walk in nature and appreciating the smell of the flowers and the hum of insects and birds, or watching and listening to the waves crashing on the sand at the beach.
However,
you may enjoy a more vigorous workout as well, such as a dance class, running
or swimming. The most important thing is that you find an activity that you can
connect with, because when that exercise gives you joy and lifts your spirits
you have more chance of keeping it going in your Self Care routines.
2.
Meditate
Meditation
has almost become mainstream these days with meditation being introduced to
children at a very young age. Meditation is about quieting your mind it’s about
creating discipline in your mind where you can learn to switch off that constant
chatter in your head.
According
to medicinenet.com, meditation is “a simple technique practiced for as few as
10 minutes per day that can help you control stress, decrease anxiety, improve
cardiovascular health, and achieve a greater capacity for relaxation”.
Meditation
produces a state of deep internal relaxation, regardless of what is going on
externally in your world.
3.
Set Healthy Boundaries
It
can happen that through no fault of ourselves or others we are caught up in being
at the beck and call of others. This can eat into our time for ourselves and to
unhealthy boundaries
We need to set boundaries to help us take care of ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. Healthy boundaries are needed to help us find a positive sense of ourselves, trusting in who we are and not allowing others to define us.
Psychology Today explains that the reason we have loosely defined, or unhealthy boundaries are because we want to be accommodating and helpful, we are unable to say no out of guilt, and we want to be liked.
But when
we take steps to identify our own desires and put our values first, we are that
much closer to inner peace.
Setting boundaries is not about
turning our backs on loved ones that need our help.
Setting boundaries is about
knowing when we need to retreat and rest to keep ourselves well enough to take
care of loved ones that need our help
4.
Socialize and Connect with
Others
A
Harvard study by Dr. Robert Waldinger suggests that “meaningful relationships
are a prescription for better emotional, mental and physical health.”
There has been over eight decades of research,
among 700 men who were teenagers in 1930s (and over 60 men who are still
participating in their 90’s) which shows that:
- social connections appear to be good for health
- loneliness appears to be toxic
- relationship quality matters
- good relationships appear to protect our brains
There are a number of ways to strengthen your connection to others, such as making new friends (by volunteering or joining a club, for example) and working to improve existing relationships with family and friends.
And of course if you do either one or
two above such as joining a class for exercise you will also tick off
connecting with others and if you are doing something that you love the chances
of you meeting up with like-minded people with a common interest increases, a Win
Win situation.
5.
Journal
Writing
your thoughts down on paper can help with organizing and processing your
thoughts, writing can help to clear your mind and help you solve problems.
According
to an article published by Michigan State University, journaling can act as an
emotional release/escape and help you obtain clarity and rid you of negative
thoughts.
A study
published in a 2011 Psychological Science journal noted that writing down your
thoughts and throwing away the paper can clear your mind and a clear mind, is a
mind at peace.
I
first heard about this practice when I was studying Dr. Sigmund Freud. It is
one of the Self Help tools that has stayed with me to this day.
Each
night before bed Freud wrote out what was in his head, a brain dump you might
say and then threw that paper into the back of the fire ensuring that he went
to his bed with a clear mind.
I
hope you have found these five Self Help tools useful and begin to see that establishing
your own Inner Peace has a positive ripple effect to what is happening around
you and will spread peace to others.
Remember
that when you are acting from a place of serenity and inner peace
- You are more kind, generous, patient,
and compassionate.
- You are less likely to quickly judge others or take offence by their actions.
- You will find more joy in connecting
with others
- You will raise your vibrations and emanate
a frequency that encourages the people around you to feel a sense of Inner Peace.
When you find your own Inner Peace, you will help contribute to a better world!


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