How to Find Inner Peace

Am I at peace with myself?

It’s an essential question we must answer before we can expect to experience peace in life.

Do you yearn for inner peace? Have you searched for it in nature, religion, or mindfulness activities? Maybe you found inner peace for a short while, but it was only fleeting?

Cultivating a sense of inner peace is necessary to feel calm in a conflicted world.

For example:

• If you’re longing for peace in a relationship with your spouse, partner, friend, child, colleague….

Are you at peace and in love with your personality? Do you feel enamored with your givingness and thoughtfulness? Are you proud of how you communicate and relate with others? How bright is the light that you are shining?

• When you’re seeking to feel more peaceful regarding those crazy drivers making you run late….

Are you at peace with your morning wake up routine? Do you feel good about your early enough bedtime routine. How about your ability to get out the door in a peaceful and timely manner that will allow you to arrive at work, or whatever destination, without stress?

• In those moments that you’re looking for peace on a sunlit beach, in a majestic forest, or from the top of a scenic mountain….

Are you at peace with your ability to rest and quiet your mind, sink into your heart, and let your soul unfold?

• If your struggling to lose weight, stop an unfavorable habit, change a direction in your life, get over a terrible experience….

Are you at peace with and forgiving of poor decisions that you’ve made in the past. Do you accept your imperfections and vulnerabilities? Are you cognizant and open to new paths you could create based on what you have learned about yourself. Do you fully realize that you are more than anything that has happened to you?

There is no definition for ‘you’.

There is peace to be found in yourself. What can you do to increase and sustain feelings of calm and peacefulness within?

When you’re feeling distressed by what is happening around you and in the world, here are 15 ways you can create an inner peace that will last.

15 Ways to Create Inner Peace

1. Intentionally look for people acting kindly.

Watch how people care for others. Notice the good people in the world. And be one of them.

2. Be self-aware and in touch with your feelings.

Recognize what causes you to become upset, stressed or full of dread. Be selective about what you watch, listen to, read, and do with your precious time. Reducing your exposure to stress is essential for finding peace and cultivating a sense of inner calm.

3. Post reminders of what’s good.

Put lots of reminders of what’s good in your life around your home, your office and other places you spend a lot of time.

• photos of family (especially children with big smiles)
• artistic creations made by family members, friends or your favorite famous artists
• vases of flowers or bowls of fruits and veggies from your garden
• souveniers or other treasures that you might have stowed away (let those memories come back to life)
• gratitude lists
• beloved letters from old friends or thank you cards, invitations, etc.
• awards, trophies, certificates or other things that remind you of accomplishments (your own or achievements of others you love)

Let these items serve as reminders of what matters in your life and be genuinely thankful as you pass each one.

4. Serve others.

Be a light in someone’s life. You can offer money, time, or your expertise to those in need. You could supply resources for other peoples’ well-being. Or keep a lookout for random opportunities to show kindness and perform good deeds in your day to day life. Volunteer, visit a nursing home, or check in on a home-bound neighbor.

5. Learn to accept criticism and achieve inner peace.

Tough one, huh? For me, too!

You don’t have to believe a critical claim, and you especially don’t need to take it personally. That’s when it disturbs our peace. If we can learn to detach from what is being criticized, we can save ourselves a lot of inner torment. This is a challenge when others in your life have not learned how to communicate effectively and how to express a grievance or complaint…but that’s another reason to avoid taking it personally. Work hard to control your emotions regarding criticism.

6. Avoid letting yourself get hijacked by fear.

Limit your time watching and reading news and listening to doomsday dwellers. Stay in touch with the facts. Spare yourself from excessive bill-boarding of upheaval and tragedy. Choose one time of day to catch up….not at bedtime. Not much will change in 24 hours.

7. Have some fun.

Don’t let yourself become reclusive. Plan for good times and outings on your own and with friends and family. Keep your hobbies alive. Stay active in your church. Accept invitations. Keeping your spirits up will energize you and help you find peace within.

8. Go ahead and do some prepping .

Reduce your anxiety by preparing for emergencies. Stock up on extra food, medical supplies and other necessities. Set some money aside. Consider what might drive you to panic-mode and plan ahead.

9. Keep your faith.

Keep showing love, being generous and kind, and believing in others. Pray or meditate with a faithful heart. Look for good in your surroundings. Spend time with people you admire and people who show good faith, especially when it’s difficult for you.

10. Stay in touch with your loved ones.

Discuss what’s going on in the world, in your life, and/or in their lives. If you or they are feeling afraid, talk about it. Reassure one another as much as you can. Encourage your loved ones to practice these ideas to feel more peaceful, or simply share this blog post with them.

11. Zoom out. (Not ‘zone’ out!)

If you focus on the big picture, or take a bird’s eye view, you can find peace in knowing that what is happening and stressing you out now will not last forever. And you’ll remember that there’s more going on in life as well.

12. Focus on what you can control or influence.

Let go of what’s outside of your control and keeping you feeling hopeless, angry or stressed. Take an action step or two related to something you can control or influence so you feel a sense of agency.

13. Forgive others to cultivate inner peace.

Sometimes it’s hard to release the negativity you feel when someone wrongs you. Choosing to let go of resentment is freeing. You don’t have to condone, grant mercy, reconcile or even speak to the person. You can just shift your emotional response and free yourself.

14. Help others find inner peace.

Share tips that you find helpful from this list. Host a peaceful get-together. If appropriate, help your loved ones resolve personal conflicts, reduce stress, get things done, solve problems, etc. Just listening and providing support could really help someone feel more at peace knowing someone understands.

15. Schedule time for self-care.

Every day plan something that will help you reduce stress and feel good. Plan for 15-20 minutes daily, and plan for something longer when you can. A yoga session, a walk, a run, a massage, a meditation, an at-home facial, a good closet clean-out, a coffee chat with a friend….any of these could be scheduled for 15 minutes or an hour. Find more self-care ideas in my email course, RENEW.

Cultivating Your Inner Peace

Which of these activities have helped you find peace before? Which will you incorporate into your life now? What other ideas have come to your mind that would help you find peace?

Now I encourage you to print this blog post out and use it as a checklist and challenge yourself to try one, or two, or all of these activities. See which ones help you most, and you’ll have your own list of essential practices for cultivating inner peace.

You’ll have a shield to protect and sustain peace in your life. Make it a priority to help you stay positive and proactive.

I wrote more about finding calm in the chaos in this post: “From Chaos to Calm”

If you need more help with finding peace in your life, reach out to me here. Your first session is free.