Not long ago I saw a meme saying something like “3 years ago we had our last normal day”.
Of course, as memes are meant to laugh, I did, and then I got thoughtful. Whooaa, kind of true, isn’t it? March 2020, I remember I thought my life is just starting. Lot of expectations, travel plans… and it all globally cancelled some weeks later.
Nevertheless, during these years I have never stopped exploring the world of well-being and self-development. It offers so much opportunity to actually help ourselves and others go through difficult times. The keyword here will be “inner peace”. As most of times we cannot solve the world’s biggest problems in one day, we can always take care of our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. And yes, today I wont be telling you about happiness but about the inner peace that can help you feel happier long-term too.
5 practical things that help me to be more peaceful daily
There are many ways to cultivate inner peace but these 5 have resonated with me the most and, I believe, they are universal and can work for others too. Spoiler alert – they are mostly internal activities as the peace needs to be created within. But not only – there is an important power in connecting with others too.
Tip #1 - Get outside!
When you feel overwhelmed, stressed or just spending too much time at home in your routine – try to go outside. For a walk, for a coffee, for a ride… in nature, to a new town… whatever you prefer.
The key here is to get out of the noise and walls of your own environment. I personally have implemented daily walks for myself to refresh my mind.
Fresh air, moving and changing the perspective can be truly healing. The difficult part here is to make that first step and get out. Then you just go with it.
And at the end, it really does feel good.
Tip #2 - Try Mindfulness
Mindfulness has become my new best friend. A simple introduction of it would be – coming back to the present moment. This is something I also do during my walks, it can be done during a meditation practice, yoga or enjoying any moment fully when doing something you like. Also – simply taking a break. The key is to disconnect from the external worries, happenings and distractions and to connect to what is here and now.
Mindfulness is complete awareness and that’s a life-long mastery but we can all start with just spending a couple of minutes of paying attention to our breath, to our room, to the trees outside. One of the simple phrases I have learnt in a mindfulness practice says: Instead of asking yourself – What if? ask – “What is?
It sounds very simple and actually it is and it is not… as we become aware of our thoughts and distractions on a new level. What it also does, is cultivating a very nice relaxing sensation and peacefulness of being able to be with ourselves in the moment. It helps to spend the time in silence, that is actually needed. It is hard to explain, so I do recommend you to try it out.
Tip #3 - Minimize your dependence on social media and information
Mindfulness helped me to understand how disctractive and unhelpful the constant information flow around us can be.
It blocks us from experiencing and connecting with what is here around us. It creates frustration. I don’t mean you need to stop reading news or using social media, not really. But if you do feel it is making you feel anxious or affecting you in some negative way, it can be a healthy idea to limit your time and dependence on it.
A quick example – when you go outside for a walk, turn off internet or even leave your phone at home. Create some space to focus on something else.
Tip #4 - Connect with people & find opportunity to help and support
Even if you decide to disconnect yourself from social media, remember that it is a social media detox, not social detox. Especially in hard times, it is more important than ever to connect, speak, empathize with each other and be together. Take time to connect with loved ones, give a call, talk to your close friend or partner. Connect with the people you love. Connect with the people you don’t know but who need support and love.
We need each other, in the good and in the bad. I see so many charity, volunteering happening around and it is powerful, it makes us feel and understand that we can actually help and make a difference in what is happening right now. Doing so will also make you feel many emotions. It can be sweet and sour. Nevertheless, helping others is also a way to deal with our own helplessness, fear, frustration, loneliness… you name it. And it is brave!
Tip #5 - Name and understand your emotions
I have been trying to name and mention some emotions, feelings and sensations in this article already. I am still learning to do so… and so this point is exactly about it. When we are not experiencing peace, we need to understand what we are experiencing instead.
The first step would be asking yourself how do you feel and actually trying to name your emotions. Even though at first it can be scary to say “I am frustrated, I am hurting, I am stressed” it does helps to release the tension of holding these feelings afterwards. It makes us more familiar with the experience, therefore it feels normal to feel the way we feel. It gives us the space to simply feel and reflect.
Peace is what will heal us, it is our goal in difficult times, and it can only come from an inner dialogue or talking to someone about your feelings and experiences (as mentioned before). Mindfulness can be a way of helping to connect with our own feelings in this crazy world. I believe there are many ways to make us calmer. Even writing this article, for example, made me feel that there are things I can control.
Sending lot’s of good vibes your way.
Inese
