How to Be Peaceful

When your heart is full and your mind is empty you find peace. That place of inner stillness where the flow of your life meets the flow of the universe. Where you move through your day in effortless ease. Have you enjoyed any of those days recently?

What stops us from living peaceful lives? Is it the doings of others, the circumstances of life, or is it simply our own resistance to ease and joy? Perhaps it’s our attachment to struggle and effort. Whatever it is, no one can bring us peace except ourselves. We sometimes live our lives as if waiting for someone to capture peace in a jar and give it to us as a present. I can just see someone opening the lid and exclaiming “where did it go, it was here just a second ago”. Peacefulness isn’t something we race after, accomplish or hold on to. It’s a day to day, moment by moment space we choose to be in.

Being peaceful involves living life from a place of love, trust and authenticity. It means letting go of our inner arguments and outer judgments. Ultimately it’s about turning the wheel of control over from our ego to our true self. Are you willing to do that in order to feel peaceful?

Reflect on the following questions to gain insights:

When do you feel peaceful? Are you peaceful out in nature, on vacation, with certain people? Reflect over what times and what situations, circumstances and people you have felt peaceful with in the past?

How do you define peace? What does it feel like physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally? What does your life look like when you are peaceful? Brainstorm a list of ways you can bring more peace into your life.

What do you let interfere with your sense of peace? What situations, circumstances and people trigger you to shift out of a peaceful state? What about your own inner thoughts, arguments and judgments?

Try these inspiring exercises to gain more peace:

Spend some time out in nature and notice how peaceful it is. Let yourself match that calming energy. Let your thoughts go, your mind still and your body settle into stillness. Bring back a scene from nature in your imagination to reflect on when you need help finding your inner peace.

Take time each day to sit with your eyes closed, relaxing your body and finding your inner stillness. Let this peacefulness fill your whole body down to the cellular level. Set your intention to bring this with you into your daily activities.

When you find yourself being triggered or irritated by others, circumstances or your own inner thoughts, ask yourself if you want to feel grumpy or peaceful. If you choose peace, do what you need to in order to reconnect to that state of being.