Finding Peace of Mind

But ultimately, most of us long for peace of mind. I’m not referring to a feeling of peace that is numb inside, ignoring the pain of self or others. Instead, I mean a durable, fulfilling peace.

The sense of peace that lies at the core of your heart, even though you may have experienced past fear, heartache, or frustration.

When you’re at peace, you engage with life while also feeling relatively safe, at ease, and relaxed. Your immune system becomes stronger, stress levels diminish, and you become more resilient. Your perspective about the world becomes more optimistic. You see more opportunities than challenges. Feeling at peace allows us to respond, rather than react, to others, and increases the likelihood of being treated well by others. Being at peace helps you harmonize with situations and be clear and direct when you need to be.

Enjoy your sense of peacefulness wherever you find it.

In general, society asks us to continually do more, be productive, engage socially, and always be on the go. These pressures often fool us into thinking that something is wrong with us if, instead, we want to sit on the deck with a book in the golden afternoon sunlight.

The Peace of Being at Ease

I like to think of this as being comfortable in your own skin. This peace feels like relief and relaxation and appears in many forms. It is often simple. Looking out a window brings a sense of calm. Talking through a problem with a friend eases a weight. Taking a moment to breathe deeply settles your mental chatter.

Ahhh. Time to rest. This form of peace is easily underestimated but is invaluable. Embrace this peace of being at ease whenever you feel it.

The Peace of Tranquility

This is deep quiet in mind and body. A sense of complete settledness. It is that perfect harmony with your internal energy and the energy around you. You are content, at the moment, to be without thinking or doing. Your body relaxes with no sense of physical strain.

Sometimes you notice this feeling of tranquility upon waking before the brain kicks into gear. Or perhaps you feel it sitting next to a mountain stream, or deep in the forest, or in a sunny meadow, or by the ocean. Maybe you notice this tranquility at the end of a yoga class, a workout, or a mediation session. There is a moment of stillness that seeps into your heart. At this moment is inner freedom, a sense of flow and connectedness to all things, that is wonderful.

The Peace of Detachment

This form of peace is a bit more subtle. Perhaps you’ve experienced distress, and your mind is racing yet at the same time there is a part of you that simply witnesses what is happening, and is untroubled by what it sees. Or perhaps it shows up as a sense of quiet openness that remains calm in the midst of the chaos around you.

The Peace of Knowing Something is Bigger than Self

Regardless of what is happening to you at this moment, some aspects of life will continue without your influence. Every day the sun rises and sets. Clouds form shapes in the sky, and they change with the flow of air currents.

Though individual waves lap the shore, the ocean is still the ocean. Seasons change regardless of what you have or have not done, thought, or said today.

Yet, in the midst of the vastness of nature and all elements bigger than self, you can find peace. You can shift into that place of calm contentment. You can intuit that you are a local wave in a vast sea of human culture, nature, and the physical universe; yes, you do change, but within an unchanging Allness. The sense of this, even if fleeting, can put you at peace. This form of peace connects you to the oneness of what is outside of you, something eternal.

Enjoy the process of exploring peace! If I can be of any help or answer any questions, feel free to contact me.