Inner Peace - Where To
Begin?By: Jajeanty
What is inner peace? A clear
conscience? Total acceptance of self?
Reckless abandon?
Inner peace is a state of being that
supercedes any and all circumstances taking place in one's life. The trick to finding inner peace is to shift our sense of power and
control from doing to being.
The demands of everyday life are immersed inside people, places and
events that come at us from all sides. It's hard not to feel as if life is happening
"to
us" instead of "with us". The only thing we truly have
control over at all times is how we let life's circumstances affect us. This
control -this choice- is not an easy one to see amidst the pressures and demands we
continually face.
Cultivating inner peace requires a priority shift
that values quality of experience over productivity, efficiency, or outcome.
Regardless of the circumstance or task at
hand, choosing
to be -to
flow- with a situation grounds us in the experience. It also grounds us
inside self.
More oftentimes than not, the biggest obstacles to
being at peace with self
are
the thoughts that run around in our heads throughout the day. Thoughts about what we
could be doing, what we should be doing, or what we'd rather be doing carry undertones of lack, loss, and
worthlessness which eat away at our core self-essence, and preempt any
possibility of inner harmony from taking root. Inner peace and negative thinking
patterns cannot exist in the same mind-space.
In obtaining inner peace we enter into the essence of who and what we are
as individuals, unfettered by the "mental" requirements of
roles, expectations, or circumstances. Realizing that life is meant to be lived rather than endured, or conquered, or
ignored puts us back in the driver's seat. If we make
up our minds that our primary objective within any circumstance is to experience it to the fullest, we've in a sense
made peace
with the circumstance at hand, and
made "a
peace" inside self.
3 Quick De-Stress Triggers
With work and family and other obligations, a lot of us
don't have a spare hour, or so to dedicate to cultivating a lifestyle
of inner
peace. Meditation, taking space, or even quiet time are luxuries of time
that just aren't available. Fortunately there are small, practical
techniques we can use to redirect our focus within
stressful situations, and in the process, incorporate a
lifestyle of inner peace within our daily routine.
BREATHING
Short breaths, rushed breathes, or shallow breathes will put the body into a stress state without us even
knowing it. Breathing is one of those things to be put on our checklist
whenever
there's a stress build-up within the day. Deep breaths tell the body everything is ok.
Physical relaxation is a definite pre-requisite to entering a state a
inner
peace.
GROUNDING
Grounding is
a visual technique that involves focusing on an object in detail. It can be
anything - a chair, a picture, a window, a pen. Focusing on it's
characteristics (color, shape, texture, contour, shading) puts us back
in
the moment, which can be helpful when thoughts and plans and
worries are going through our heads. In effect, this exercise tells our
minds
to shift out of "doing" and into "being".
REFRAMING
The roles and expectations we place
on ourselves can be the biggest obstacle to finding inner peace. Roles and expectations are
oftentimes walls and boundaries in disguise. Sometimes just asking ourselves "Is
this how I want this to affect me?" is enough to
reframe our perspective on a situation. By asking this question we can
automatically put ourselves back
in
the driver's seat. The bottom-line being, we can always
control how situations affect us.
Cultivating
inner
peace is an ongoing process. It's a lifestyle that depends on the
quality of
the experiences that make up our lives. Life's demands require
us to
be doers, first; but that doesn't mean we have to relinquish our sense of
presence and experience in the process.
Finding inner peace can be summed up in one
familiar saying : "It's the little things that matter the
most."
J.A. Jeanty specializes in areas of healing and
recovery. She is
the author of Easy Lovin' for Couples In Crisis - A Relationship Repair
Manual.
Begin?By: Jajeanty
What is inner peace? A clear
conscience? Total acceptance of self?
Reckless abandon?
Inner peace is a state of being that
supercedes any and all circumstances taking place in one's life. The trick to finding inner peace is to shift our sense of power and
control from doing to being.
The demands of everyday life are immersed inside people, places and
events that come at us from all sides. It's hard not to feel as if life is happening
"to
us" instead of "with us". The only thing we truly have
control over at all times is how we let life's circumstances affect us. This
control -this choice- is not an easy one to see amidst the pressures and demands we
continually face.
Cultivating inner peace requires a priority shift
that values quality of experience over productivity, efficiency, or outcome.
Regardless of the circumstance or task at
hand, choosing
to be -to
flow- with a situation grounds us in the experience. It also grounds us
inside self.
More oftentimes than not, the biggest obstacles to
being at peace with self
are
the thoughts that run around in our heads throughout the day. Thoughts about what we
could be doing, what we should be doing, or what we'd rather be doing carry undertones of lack, loss, and
worthlessness which eat away at our core self-essence, and preempt any
possibility of inner harmony from taking root. Inner peace and negative thinking
patterns cannot exist in the same mind-space.
In obtaining inner peace we enter into the essence of who and what we are
as individuals, unfettered by the "mental" requirements of
roles, expectations, or circumstances. Realizing that life is meant to be lived rather than endured, or conquered, or
ignored puts us back in the driver's seat. If we make
up our minds that our primary objective within any circumstance is to experience it to the fullest, we've in a sense
made peace
with the circumstance at hand, and
made "a
peace" inside self.
3 Quick De-Stress Triggers
With work and family and other obligations, a lot of us
don't have a spare hour, or so to dedicate to cultivating a lifestyle
of inner
peace. Meditation, taking space, or even quiet time are luxuries of time
that just aren't available. Fortunately there are small, practical
techniques we can use to redirect our focus within
stressful situations, and in the process, incorporate a
lifestyle of inner peace within our daily routine.
BREATHING
Short breaths, rushed breathes, or shallow breathes will put the body into a stress state without us even
knowing it. Breathing is one of those things to be put on our checklist
whenever
there's a stress build-up within the day. Deep breaths tell the body everything is ok.
Physical relaxation is a definite pre-requisite to entering a state a
inner
peace.
GROUNDING
Grounding is
a visual technique that involves focusing on an object in detail. It can be
anything - a chair, a picture, a window, a pen. Focusing on it's
characteristics (color, shape, texture, contour, shading) puts us back
in
the moment, which can be helpful when thoughts and plans and
worries are going through our heads. In effect, this exercise tells our
minds
to shift out of "doing" and into "being".
REFRAMING
The roles and expectations we place
on ourselves can be the biggest obstacle to finding inner peace. Roles and expectations are
oftentimes walls and boundaries in disguise. Sometimes just asking ourselves "Is
this how I want this to affect me?" is enough to
reframe our perspective on a situation. By asking this question we can
automatically put ourselves back
in
the driver's seat. The bottom-line being, we can always
control how situations affect us.
Cultivating
inner
peace is an ongoing process. It's a lifestyle that depends on the
quality of
the experiences that make up our lives. Life's demands require
us to
be doers, first; but that doesn't mean we have to relinquish our sense of
presence and experience in the process.
Finding inner peace can be summed up in one
familiar saying : "It's the little things that matter the
most."
J.A. Jeanty specializes in areas of healing and
recovery. She is
the author of Easy Lovin' for Couples In Crisis - A Relationship Repair
Manual.
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