What does finding peace mean and how to you find it? This question can be tricky as finding peace can mean different things to differ people. For some it can mean finding emotional balance for others it can mean to be at peace with the physical body or to be connected to your essence. Let’s explore 3 ways to find peace which may resonate with you…
Physical (body). How happy are you with your body? So many of us hold on to a negative body image for various reasons…There were many times when I wished I had a different this or that or I looked more like ‘that person’ because I thought they were ‘beautiful’. Then one day it dawned on me how lucky I was and how it’s all about perception, as when the person I wished to look like was so unhappy with their looks! Shifting my mindset to a place of gratitude and acceptance allowed me to make peace with my physical body despite my perceived limitations or challenges. So, if this resonates with you for the next coming week, write down everyday something you are grateful for about your physical body in a journal or even starting a gratitude jar. You may also wish to develop an intention, (in the present and positive focus), which you can repeat to yourself 3 times every day for the next week before you got sleep. For example: “I am beautiful", "I am enough” or “Every cell in my body is healthy”.
Emotional (Mind). Finding inner peace is certainly a journey and one which requires in my opinion forgives, acceptance and letting go. The first step to inner peace is to be able to let go of fear, resentment and doubt. Learning to ‘let go’ of any emotions and experiences that are holding you back from moving forward can be challenging and that’s where forgiveness comes in. To be able to let go we need to forgive ourselves and others and to do that we need to accept the past and be grounded in the present. Our past can be challenging, maybe there’s trauma and hurt, however, when we accept that we cannot change it, it happened, and as much as it was unfair, traumatic or hurtful, there is nothing we can do to change those events or circumstances, we will notice a shift. We can accept the past occurred but focus on the present moment taking one step at a time to move forward. This may take seeking professional support, but the first step is creating awareness and once that occurs you are on your journey…Once you are aware that the past is holding you back, ask yourself who can support me in my journey to move forward? A friend, counsellor, coach? Or you may wish to create an intention to focus on whilst mediating such as: “I’m grounded in the present, I’m at peace”.
Spiritual (spiritual). Connection to something more than just our physical world is the ultimate destination. What resonates for us far beyond our senses and despite them; it’s a kind of yearning which it’s hard to describe or comprehend, but it’s linked to the universe and universal energy. It's what gives us our essence, our true self. What connects us to something more than ‘us’ and what links ‘us’ to everything else around us. Practising meditation is one way to connect to our soul and hopefully achieve in some level some spiritual peace. Try sitting down in a quiet space and just start by observing your breath without controlling your thoughts or breath; simply sitting; breathing in silence. Allowing images to appear and thoughts to appear without engagement, just sitting; breathing and being silent. See if you can do this for 5 minutes (maybe setting a timer) and each day add an extra 5 minutes. Try it for a week and it may become a habit?
So, what makes you feel at peace, in your body, mind and spirit?
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