Inner Peace or Calm?
They both sound like the same thing. But are they?
I know fear and anxiety well
(maybe you do too?)
I have been searching for (and talking about) CALM for years. Now, at this stage in my life, I realize that it’s not calm I have been longing for; it’s Inner Peace.
That realization feels like I can hear the “click” of a tumbler in a lock falling into place.
For me, finding calm is like finding an icy cold glass of water after being lost in the desert. It’s wonderfully refreshing, life-giving, and yet, fleeting.
One glass of water cannot sustain us long-term.
However, once we learn how and where to find calm, we can expand our journey toward LASTING INNER PEACE.
I literally wrote a book with 35 simple techniques to find your calm: “Goodbye Anxiety, Hello Freedom.” To strive to inner peace, we need to begin by building a foundation of finding calm amidst the chaos, as each of these evidence-based strategies do.
But if we stop there, it’s like putting a bandaid on a bullet hole (sorry, not my favorite analogy.)
Focusing on finding the calm as each situation arises is helpful in the moment; but it’s only a brief respite.
Inner Peace comes from a dedicated practice of a calm and balanced state of mind – regardless of what’s going on around us.
Calm or Inner Peace: It’s a choice
I learned this recently when my husband was facing yet another serious medical condition. We have been through many of these situations, and yet this time it was different.
Previously I had been using the band-aid approach and feeling pretty good about being resilient enough to remember I had tools and could choose to use them!
This time, I was able to accept that this was 100% out of my control, AND that I could choose to REACT (and then use a technique or strategy to find my calm) OR I could choose to RESPOND, accept that I can handle whatever happens.
It was a much more peaceful experience (and thankfully a positive outcome for my husband!)
5 Ways to Cultivate Inner Peace
Meditate – whatever that looks like for you. You don’t have to sit on a special pillow or any of that! If you have no meditation practice in place, start with setting a timer for 1 or 2 minutes and just focus on your breath.
Get Present. In our busy world, we spend a lot of time focusing on the past or the future. The more we can bring ourselves into the present mind, the more inner peace we will feel.
Gratitude. One of my FAVORITES! One of the easiest (and very effective) ways I know is to ask “What’s Right, Right Now?” When we ask that simple question, we drop our cortisol (stress hormone) levels and raise our dopamine and serotonin (happy hormones) levels!!
Connect with Nature. I am so blessed to live near a reservoir where I walk every day. I see bald eagles and foxes and herons, a reservoir FULL of life giving water…just writing that fills me with gratitude! Numerous studies are proving the calming effect of nature on our mental well-being. (If you can’t get out in nature, listen to nature sounds or look at amazing nature photographs.)
Make self-care a priority. As they say on every airline flight: Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On First!
Developing a sense of Inner Peace isn’t like switching on a light. It takes practice and a bit of time.
I would be thrilled to help you along this journey. A great place to start is to join me in my FREE Self-Hypnosis Masterclass that I offer every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7pm ET.
Sign up at IBringCalm.com.
