“No person, no place, and nothing has any power over us, for ‘we’ are the only thinkers in our mind. When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.” — Author, Louise L. Hay
Peace of mind has become more and more difficult to find with time! Today’s world appears to be congested with countless everyday challenges which clutter the individual’s mind with several thoughts. Usually, he or she may or may not be able to figure out what to do when faced with such a situation. The question is, how can one ever find peace of mind when the mind constantly acts like a hamster addicted to its running wheel?
I can assure you that peace of mind really exists and not only that, it’s something that can be achieved in life. There are ways through which one can eventually find peace of mind and in the end, positive well-being. Note though, that the journey to achieving full peace of mind is a process on its own and has to be duly followed for the desired result.
Some people believe that peace of mind is something you can only experience when you live a trouble-free life, but that’s not true. Peace of mind and focus go hand-in-hand, therefore when you learn how to stay focused and gain control of your thoughts, you get the chance to experience peace of mind. It will please you to know that peace of mind also helps one to be more focused.
For today’s discussion we will talk about how peace of mind allows for positive well-being and how one can eventually reach their own levels of peace of mind.
First, let us define what Peace of Mind is. The Merriam Webster website defines the phrase as, “a feeling of being safe or protected”. Also, the collinsdictionary.com which some may deem more accurate, states that it is “the absence of worry”. In other words, it is achieving a calm state of mind regardless of your situation or circumstance.
The most important step to achieving peace is to acknowledge the fact that you have the ability to control your mind, your thoughts and how you respond to others. If you refuse to take responsibility for your reactions to people and situations, then you will never live in peace. However, when you control your response to people and situations, you will begin to make progress in this area.
Let us now define what well-being is, in order to gain a clearer picture of how it ties with one’s mental health. Well-being is the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity. It includes having good mental health, high life satisfaction, a sense of meaning or purpose, and ability to manage stress.
Generally, well-being is just feeling well.
Per the above definitions, we can conclude that with peace of mind one will eventually improve their overall well-being. The good news is, there are simple things you can do to calm and control your thoughts. If you want to achieve peace of mind and inner calm, I suggest that you try out these simple and powerful methods outlined below:
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Listen to music
Studies have found that relaxing music can help one reach a state of total calmness; it doesn’t matter what genre of music you listen to, as long as you enjoy it and it makes you feel relaxed. Music is food for the soul and a quick way to gain peace of mind.
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Deep breathing
When you focus on your breathing, your mind’s attention is drawn to the life-enhancing process of inhalation and exhalation. Take a number of long, deep breaths and focus on your lungs and diaphragm as you do so. This is a quick and easy way to instantly feel calm.
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Go for a walk and enjoy nature
Getting out in the fresh air can do you a lot of good and promote peace of mind. In the heat of overwhelming events, take a break and go somewhere quiet to get the blood pumping especially in the sunshine. While at it, listen to the birds sing and enjoy the peace and tranquillity.
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Play with a pet
Having a pet to play with is a great way to de-stress. Pets such as dogs who are warm and friendly creatures can be the best to serve this purpose. Touch is a powerful sense and can ease tension and promote peace of mind.
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Declutter
Have regular clear-outs. A cluttered environment can add to feelings of tension but a clean, clear home allows for a clearer, more peaceful mind.
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Acceptance
Acceptance is crucial for peace of mind. Accepting that there are few guarantees in the world and learning to tolerate uncertainty is a huge leap in the peace-of-mind stakes. Differentiate between what you can and cannot control.
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Mindfulness
When we are mindful, we are fully present in the moment and acutely aware of our five senses: touch, taste, sight, hearing and smell. Engage your senses. This leaves less time for your mind to worry and think about ‘what ifs.’
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Self-Love
The more we like ourselves, the greater our peace of mind. Though some may take more time to accept themselves for who they are, it is another crucial step to achieving peace of mind that allows for positive well-being. We must learn to accept ourselves more and feel at ease in the world, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. Consequently, we will experience less insecurity even as our inner peace heightens.
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Be True to Yourself and have a sense of humour
This is another vital component of peace of mind. When the way we see ourselves and the way the world sees us is the same, we are practising congruency and when we practice congruency, we behave similarly to the way we feel and think.
Problems arise when we see ourselves one way (for example, as a loving mother) but behave in ways that are at odds with how we would like to see ourselves (for example, neglect our children because we are too busy). Finding ways to keep our inner ideals and the way we behave is one of the keys to peace of mind.
Also, laugh frequently. Laughter is a great antidote for stress and releases hormones that help us relax.
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Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
Learn to be more flexible in your approach to life. The more rigid our thinking is, the easier it is to experience situations that contradict our rigid ideas.
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Worry Less
According to research we have somewhere between 30,000 – 75,000 thoughts per day, amongst which 80% are random ‘nonsense’. Learn to shelve worry by reminding yourself that most of your worries are unproductive and can remove any chance of peace of mind.
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Enjoy ‘Me-Time’
Time out is important. A little bit of selfish time to treat yourself or do exactly as you please sets you up for taking on the constant demands of life. Balance in life is crucial.
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Let it go and have an attitude of gratitude
There are some things that you just cannot change, no matter how hard you try. Know when to cut your losses, detach, and accept things for how they are or turn out to be.
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See failure as a learning curve
Failure is known to have negative connotations. Everyone fails at least once in a while but in different ways. How can you improve or learn anything if you never fail?
A healthy attitude towards failure encourages bravery. It’s not you that is the failure, instead, it is what you tried that failed. There is a big difference.
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Find positive outlets for negative emotions
Suppressing negative emotions can lead to ill-health. Release tension and frustration in a pro-social way, through sports, online fora, like-minded people, hobbies, etc and feel a whole lot happier in the end.
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Slow down. Get enough sleep
When we’re tired and grumpy, nothing goes smoothly. Get eight hours of sleep per night and regenerate your body. Why does everything need to be accomplished today? Putting unrealistic pressure on yourself is unnecessary. Rather, challenge your impatience, be mindful and enjoy life in the moment.
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Be kind and avoid comparison
Kindness is free and always makes a difference. When we show kindness, it gives us an inner boost, too. Also, as much as possible, avoid comparison; the more we compare ourselves with others, the more we lose ourselves. Forget what everyone else is doing or saying. What do YOU want? We all have our own paths to follow, and we are all learning and going through life at our own unique pace.
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Save a little money as often as you can
Putting money aside is always a good idea, especially if you have good sources of income. If you can afford to save money regularly, do it. Start up a regular debit each month, and you won’t even realize it’s gone. Your savings will become a cushion you can fall back on in case of any financial frustration which can be the greatest robber of peace of mind.
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Perspective; sometimes less is more
Money buys choice, but it doesn’t buy us the happiness we crave. Be content with the simpler things in life, that’s where the real long-lasting joy and peace of mind comes from. Always keep your eye on the bigger picture.
After achieving peace of mind, it will improve your chances of further allowing for positive mental health hence your overall well-being. For creatives in particular, we are most productive when we have peace of mind. It allows us to be more focused and definitely more productive.
Finally, the most important ways to achieve peace of mind involve being true to yourself, accepting that life is uncertain and watching your thoughts. Many of us mentally ‘torture’ ourselves daily with the things we tell ourselves. As adults, we all need a good sense of balance in our work, family and personal lives. There are many factors that can affect our overall mental health and it is important that we not only look after our bodies but our minds too.
Trust your thoughts less, pay less attention to the negative ones and focus on what you are thankful for in life, and you’ll be well on your way to finding peace of mind and thus eventually achieving positive well-being.
Sources:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/
http://blog.dcccd.edu/2020/05/peace-of-mind-focusing-on-your-mental-health/
https://psychcentral.com/blog/7-tips-to-stay-focused-and-achieve-peace-of-mind/
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/40-ways-achieve-peace-mind-and-inner-calm.html
Mimi Machakaire is a Zimbabwean with a Diploma in Film Production from the University of Zimbabwe and a Diploma in journalism from Rutherford Hayes University, in the United States of America. She has a great passion for writing, journalism and storytelling. She currently resides in Maseru city, Lesotho.
