Contents
Peace of Mind is paramount as stress surrounds us all the time. Stress has become part and parcel of our life these days. To utilize our full potential and avoid mental and physical health issues, we need to delete stress from our life or at least keep it at bay.
What is peace of mind?
Inner peace or Peace of Mind is a relaxed state of mind with the help of which you can eliminate all the negative energy and vibes surrounding you. It helps to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere around and within you.
Without peace of mind or inner peace, we start to notice symptoms of stress and anxiety:
- Anger
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Relationship tension or conflict
- Sleep disturbances
- Aches and pains
- Fatigue
- Low energy
- Stomach upsets
- Cardiac Issues
How do we get peace of mind?
It is always available, but like any desirable state of mind, it requires effort from your end. We can do the following
- We should accept what we can’t change
- Be able to Forgive
- Stay present
- Should Focus on ourselves
- Keep a journal
- Connect with nature
- Deep breathing
- Yoga & Meditation
- Creative activities
- Walking
- Spending time with family and friends
We should accept what we can’t change.
We can’t control our life. It is unpredictable to infinity. Life throws various challenges to us and complicates our daily routine. We come under worry, stress, or even become afraid. Health issues of near and dear ones, loss of close family or friends or even stress in work-life disturbs our peace of mind. If we keep our minds constantly focused on these issues or issues like these, our life will become more stressful if we ignore these feelings that do not help, not if we suppress these feelings. The suppressed emotions can burst out later, intensifying multifold and hamper our lives.
Therefore, it is better to accept the issues and deal with them. We can practice cognitive reframing by reminding ourselves that the situation is difficult, but we can get through it. It will take time to adopt the habit of acceptance, but the more it becomes natural, the more peace we will find.
Be able to Forgive
We feel angry and hurt when someone mistreats us. It is understandable and quite normal to handle such a way. But if we hold grudges for such things, it will only disturb our inner calmness. Our anger, disappointment, and resentments feed on our emotional energy and generate physical and mental health issues. Symptoms of such condition could be as per below.
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Sleeping trouble
- Stomach upsets
- Cardiac issues
Forgiveness ultimately benefits us by bringing us less stress and mental health issues. The habit of forgiveness does not form quickly. It is an emotionally demanding and time-consuming process involving acceptance, compassion, and empathy. Once we start the art of forgiveness, we move towards a more peaceful state of mind.
Stay Present
We should not think much about the past. We cannot change what happened. It can only give us ideas such as what we could have done and what could have been better—ultimately hampering our peace of mind. Similarly, too much thinking about what the future uphold for us gives us stress and worry. We cannot change the past; we cannot change our future. Thinking about them disturbs our present, our calm and mood. We stood to stop worrying about them and stay focused on the present. Staying at present will help us focus on the issues on hand and find ways to overcome them, therefore being calm and relaxed.
Focus on ourselves
Focusing on ourselves provides many benefits, such as being relaxed, focused, and recharged. It offers the chance to
- Understand our self-identity and personal values.
- Reassess our needs and boundaries.
- Identify and explore our creative personalities.
- Enjoy our hobbies.
Keep a journal
Well, this is a challenging but handy tool to attain inner peace or peace of mind. It might feel like a hurdle at first. Still, with commitment and dedication, one would realise that putting our feelings on paper gives us an entirely different perspective. Journaling helps us to process and express emotions that otherwise we might have kept inside. It helps reduce the emotional weight that we might be carrying around.
Connect with nature
Nature and greenery soothe not only our eyes but also our mind. Forest or green land reduces emotional distress and increases peace of mind and calmness. Spending time with nature keep anger and worry far from our mind. It provides relaxation and reduces depression. It also enhances kindness, concentration, and peace.
Yoga & Meditation for Peace of Mind
- Yoga and meditation reduce stress and anxiety.
- They help us to fight depression and eliminate worries.
- Meditation and yoga enhance peace and self-concept.
- They help us to get better sleep or quality of sleep.
- Meditation makes us more positive and focused.
- Yoga and meditation relax our mind and body and give us emotional upliftment.
- Both increase the levels of oxytocin and serotonin hormones in our bodies. These hormones are responsible for our feeling of happiness and wellness and hence act as mood enhancers.
Creative activities
Creative activities help our brain focus on things we like and relieve our minds from worrisome, stressful thoughts. Activities such as painting, gardening, and crafting energise and fill our minds with inner peace and pleasure. These enhance our mood and provide our minds with positive thoughts and energy.
Walking for Peace of Mind
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking,” Friedrich Nietzsche.
Walking gives us a break from worries. We can observe the environment and enjoy the trees, gardens, flowers, and sky. It does not have to be fast-paced walking to relieve stress. A relaxed stroll can enhance our mood, spirit and give us inner peace.
Brisk walking boosts the production of feel-good endorphins, which reduce stress hormones, alleviate mild depression, and improve mood and self-esteem.
While walking, blood flow to our brain is increased, which helps flow creative ideas and keeps you at bay from the distractions of your office or home. Walking in a natural environment has excellent effects on stress relief.
Spending time with family and friends
If you spend more time with family and friends, it reduces anxiety and worry. It leads to a healthier lifestyle. Friends and family motivate us to be the best version of ourselves. It builds self-esteem and helps to meet our emotional needs, ultimately improving our mental health and giving us peace of mind.
Listen to Music
Fast, upbeat music can make us feel very optimistic. A piece of slow music, on the other hand, can quiet our minds. Slow music also relaxes our muscles and releases the stress of the day. Music is compelling for stress management and relaxation.
Which type of music helps calm the mind and gives peace of mind?
Classical, soft pop and country music is the music genre that helps relax our mind. These genres contain the musical elements necessary to assist us calm our minds.
What is meditation music?
The kind of music that helps in practising meditation is called meditation music. It could be of specific religious content but also with no religious group as a focus.
What does music do to the brain?
Listening to music improves blood pressure and reduces anxiety and pain. It also improves mood, sleep quality, mental alertness, and memory. It gives us inner peace.
Deep Breathing, peace of mind
What does deep breathing do to the brain?
Deep breathing has a direct effect on the overall brain activity. Deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, which leads to the stabilisation of abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
Does deep breathing clear your mind and give inner peace?
Deep breathing increases the oxygen supply to our brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. The stimulated parasympathetic nervous system promotes a state of calmness.
Does breathing help calm the mind or provide peace of mind?
Deep breathing can help quiet our sympathetic nervous system and therefore reduces feelings of stress or anxiety.
How does deep breathing relax and help you to get peace of mind?
Deep breathing increases the oxygen supply to our brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. The stimulated parasympathetic nervous system promotes a state of calmness.
Declutter
What does decluttering do to your brain?
Research shows that disorganisation and clutter have a cumulative effect on our brain. Our brain likes order, and constant visual reminders of disorganisation drain our cognitive resources, reducing our ability to focus. Clutter produces visual distraction, increasing cognitive overload and reducing our working memory.
Does clutter cause negative energy?
Clutter makes it difficult to get things done in an orderly fashion. To find what we need and to live in an orderly and efficient manner, we need to declutter. It is difficult to see everyday things in a cluttered space, and we become stressed to find them when needed. It allows negative energy to build up over time.
Does decluttering make you happy?
A decluttered space allows better airflow, sunlight, and brightness. It not only improves our mental health and makes us happy but also our physical health.
Does decluttering help with anxiety and peace of mind?
Yes, decluttering helps to deal with anxiety and stress. It is an easy way to reduce stress. Decluttering makes us feel calmer, happier, and more in control. A tidier space helps to have a relaxed mind.
Join a community
We, rather than being alone, prefer being with others. Connecting with other people gives us peace of mind and happiness. For example, if we identify with a particular religion, find a good church, temple, mosque, or synagogue to attend. Apart from faith, we can join a sports team, reading group, or art and crafts group.
Love Unconditionally
What does it mean to love someone unconditionally?
When we love someone freely without any expectation, it is called Unconditional love. It is love without any strings attached. We love them and want only their happiness. As there is no expectation, this not only makes them happy it also makes us happy and get inner peace.
Live in the Moment
What does it mean to live in the moment?
It means concentrating on the present with little concern for the future.
Why is it essential to live in the moment with peace of mind?
Studies show that if we focus on seeking pleasure in the present, we will be happier than those who focus on the past or future. Those who live in the moment take the time to notice more of the small things and enjoy the simple pleasures of life to attain inner peace. It makes them happy and more productive.
Speak Your Mind
Is speaking your mind a good thing for inner peace?
Instead of keeping our thoughts buried inside us, we should speak our minds for our own sake. The buried ideas over time build up stress and disturb our inner peace. Speaking our minds releases those thoughts and gives us a sense of relaxation and peace of mind.
Don’t Compare to having peace of mind or inner peace.
We consciously or subconsciously constantly benchmark ourselves with others in our family, neighbourhood, or social circle. It always does not have to be financial but also a success, beauty, and fitness. This type of comparison has the potential the hamper our happiness.
Social media does not always have to be true. It often portrays a skewed image of someone’s lifestyle as it is very superficial. No one will post their bad day on Facebook or Instagram. We do not see their mundane day-to-day life of theirs but the heightened, peak experience on social platforms.
We don’t know their actual life, no idea if they are in debt, no idea the price they have paid, no idea of what they have sacrificed, such as family, to get a bigger paycheck. They might have missed out on small pleasures of life that have more value.
There is always a cost
Comparisons are toxic as it adds to our stress level and feelings of depression. Never compare yourself with others. The more we compare, the more negative energy will flow into our minds, ultimately disturbing our inner peace. Everyone is unique, and we should embrace this fact and feel excellent about ourselves.
We should not race with others; we should run our own life at our own pace and live with inner peace.
Eat well
Food has a direct impact on our mood. It also helps our body to function, respond and recover. Nutrition-rich food is not only good for our physical health but mental health too. A high sugar diet and junk foods contribute significantly to our anxiety and stress levels.
Get Enough Sleep
A night of good sleep is crucial. Research shows that one should get at least 7 to 9 hours of good sleep. Sleep fixes stress and anxiety issues. If different thoughts disturb our sleep, we should create a wind-down routine before bed. It could include taking a bath, dimming the lights, getting off our electronic devices or reading a good book.
Unplug your tech devices to get peace of mind
Phone calls and social media (Facebook, WhatsApp etc.) encourage us to respond to other people’s needs but also let us compare with others and disturb our inner peace. Taking time away from our electronic devices such as mobile phones or computers helps us clear our minds and be more content.
Be Generous
We should be generous, volunteer for social causes and practice random acts of kindness. The act of giving away always makes the heart more content. Peace and selfishness do not coexist.
Avoid negative people for peace of mind
How to Protect Yourself from Other’s Negative Energy
- Stay positive.
- Ignore the negative person.
- Please give them the silent treatment.
- Move to a different space.
How do you feel positive around a negative person?
We should always be even friendly people around us who are full of negative energy. We should realise that being positive is a better way of life and what others say does not matter. Being positive makes us confident and grateful for what we have in life.
Benefits of peace of mind
Benefits are more than what we can write here, but to get an idea, some of the most common are below.
- Inner peace increase in concentration ability.
- Peace of mind helps in a more efficient way to handle your daily affairs of life.
- Inner peace brings a sense of inner strength, happiness, and bliss.
- With inner peace, your patience and tolerance level will increase.
- You will get freedom from stress, anxieties, and worries.
- With inner peace, one can fall asleep easily at night and get a sound sleep.
- What people think or say won’t affect you when your mind is at inner peace.
- Once your mind is in tranquillity, it will be free from restless thinking and running from one unimportant thought to another.
Demands in our everyday life cause stress and much emotional turmoil, especially if one is going through a difficult time. One can’t escape life’s challenges completely, and inner peace won’t make one’s difficulties disappear. Still, it can help you remain calm in the face of distress by easing feelings of anxiety, worry, etc.
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” —Saint Francis de Sales.
References
Wikipedia contributors. (2022, July 27). Inner peace. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Inner_peace&oldid=1100670818