Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances – Gandhi.

(Guest post by Janet Miller)

How can you be expected to balance a busy work and family life with cooking and cleaning and still find time for yourself?

For most people, the majority of their days are very chaotic, busy, and riddled with worries about how to pay their bills and keep food on the table at home, and when they have a moment to spare, they turn to alcohol, TV, or shopping as a means of escaping.

If you live this way, chances are that you’re often plagued with feelings of depression and anxiety. You probably feel like you’re trapped and being forced to lose interest in the things you once loved.

Stop making excuses and break the cycle now!

Finding inner peace is much easier than you may think.

All you need to do is shift your perspective a little. Start by understanding the importance of finding inner peace. You must place the highest value on this. For when you find inner peace by living a well-balanced, low-stress life, your mind will be clearer and more focused and you will find that all of the other chaotic pieces of your life will begin to fall right into place.

Here are 8 tips to help you find inner peace.

1) Accept the Things that You Cannot Change

There are things that happen to us in life that we have the power to change, and things that happen to us that are completely out of our control. If you’re unhappy or stressed out, take a step back and look at your life. Consider what is making you feel down or upset, and think about the ways in which you can change things to bring you more positivity and less stress.

Making a big change can be scary and it can be very difficult, but don’t be afraid if your intuition is telling you to make it. Just go for it! As for the things that are completely beyond your control, you must learn to accept those and go with the flow. Think of every obstacle in your life as a learning experience and an opportunity to evolve and become an even better version of you.

2) Patience is the Highest Virtue

In order to live peacefully, you must rid yourself of as much stress as you possibly can. You can begin lowering your stress levels by working on your patience. Force yourself to pay attention throughout the day to all the times you feel yourself beginning to get stressed out about little things that you can’t control, like an annoying customer or a pushy boss at work, or a long line at the store or a traffic jam when you’re in a rush.

During these times, take a deep breath and remind yourself that it isn’t the end of the world. Nothing is going to get better if you get stressed out. Either way, you’re going to have to make it through the situation, and you’ll make it through feeling much more focused and at ease if you don’t let these little things get to you. Hum your favorite song, force yourself to think of a funny joke, or picture yourself in a peaceful place, like in the woods or at the beach. Soon, you won’t have to try to practice patience. You’ll notice that your stress is disappearing on its own, and that’s a great feeling.

3) Smile and the World will Smile with You

Laughter is the best medicine and smiles are contagious. It’s been proven that it’s nearly impossible for a person not to smile back at someone who smiles at them. Radiate your positive energy by wearing a smile a bit more often and the positive energy will come back to you.

4) Get Out!

Go outside and get moving. In our modern world, it’s becoming far too easy for people to lose their connection with nature, but you cannot allow yourself to do that. Go somewhere quiet for a walk as much as you can, and try to spend at least 20 minutes a day outside somewhere. If you enjoy physical activity, you can try something slightly challenging such as barefoot running or exercising on a trampoline. If you can sit by the water or get some sunlight, you’ll be feeling even more peaceful.

5) Focus on the Future

It’s important to envision what you want in life so that you can set a lot of smaller goals to reach your ultimate destination. Constantly evaluate yourself and ask yourself where you see you in five or ten years if you remain on the path that you’re headed down right now. If you don’t like what you see, make some changes.

6) Be a Good Listener

Open your eyes, ears, and mind. Listen to everything. Listen more to others when they talk to you. Listen to the sounds of nature. Listen to music every day, and especially when you’re feeling frustrated or need to focus. Sound helps us to relax our minds and lower stress. Close your eyes and let your mind and emotions connect with the sounds around you, the sounds outside, or the sounds of music.

7) Knowledge is Power

Do something really good for your peace of mind: turn off the TV and pick up a good book. Knowledge is power, and this will always remain true. When you read, you get your imagination and critical thinking working. This will help make you more confident, give you better focus, and provide you with a very healthy and productive escape when you’re feeling low.

8) Just Breathe

One of the first things you would learn if you practice meditation or are learning how to control your stress is how to focus on your breathing patterns. Taking a deep breath in and letting it slowly out through the nose has an extremely calming effect on the entire body, and thus, the mind.

Apply these steps to your life every single day and you will find yourself walking a much more peaceful path in no time.

Janet Miller is a mom of four, former Fortune 500 executive and executive coach. She is the cofounder of JenReviews and has been featured on Forbes, Fast Company, The Muse and Tiny Buddha.

 

About this site: Hi! I’m Tia. Multi-passionate Sparklepants, Life Lover, Curator of Awesome. I run this website featuring kickass inspiration to help you sparkle through life, no matter what! Go here to ignite your Inner Sparkle — that shimmery part of your spirit that says YES to courage + connection, and NO WAY to ‘shoulds’ + restrictions. Click here to contribute a post.

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