Easy as it may sound, ‘Peace’ is something that has a habit of eluding you when you need it the most. The sages were right when they said that you needed to just start giving yourself a chance and time – to improve; to love yourself and to express yourself.
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without” -Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
1. Gratitude
Remind yourself every single morning to be grateful and happy for a new day. Practising gratitude is no esoteric concept, you are actually changing the wiring of your brain to feel positive – you choose to form a habit of “peace”. This is called changing the ‘neural pathways.’
2. Banish negative thoughts
It is equally important to arrest every negative thought from your system. And for that, you will have to observe yourself closely, be extremely vigilant as soon as you feel a negative idea make an appearance, seize the thought instantly, and replace it with a positive one immediately. It works like magic.
3. Express yourself
Now that you have already done the groundwork. Your next step is to either vocalize your thoughts to a close confidant or express yourself on paper. You cannot burden your mind with too many debilitating thoughts. Expressing emotions always helps in releasing pent up feelings.
4. Take up an activity of your choice
It could be just about anything – music, gardening, cooking, drawing, writing. It's not a good idea to start off with saying ‘I am too old for this’, ‘I not good at it’, ‘I may not be able to do it’; negative affirmations in any case, will not help you. Think of it as something that you are doing for yourself, and not as a professional pursuit. It's perfectly alright to be imperfect. In fact, that is where all perfect things start - at ‘imperfection.’
5. Practice breathing techniques
Breath is the easiest way to connect with yourself. It’s the junction of the consciousness and vital life force, Shiva and Shakti, energy and matter, yin and yang. Devote at least 15 minutes to it in the morning. If you don’t know too much about it – google it or join a yoga class in your neighbourhood.
6. Exercise
Do it as you please or as your body permits. The endorphins released have the power to make you feel happier, relaxed and consequently, more peaceful. There are umpteen options to keep in shape, like swimming, walking, static cycling, yoga, Pilates etc; make the effort and start some form of exercise and you will see your body and your mind transform.
7. Sometimes, do nothing
If you feel that your biggest impediment is restlessness or the ‘guilt of resting’ - a lot of people suffer from it by the way - then make sure that you allot a ‘do nothing’ day to your routine. A goal-oriented mind will see it as a ‘goal’ and will accept it with ease.
Remember for peace “Life isn’t as serious as the mind makes it out to be” -Eckhart Tolle
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