Feeling overwhelmed by life’s challenges? It doesn’t have to be this way. When everything goes wrong, use these tips to find inner peace and happiness.
77% of people in the U.S. regularly experience physical symptoms of stress. With the present-day rush of modern life, it can be far too easy to become overwhelmed and over-stressed. Luckily, there are ways to find inner peace even when everything is going wrong.
Here are 10 tips to help you find and maintain inner peace and happiness when life is getting you down.
1. Slow Down
In the rush of the modern world, it can be all too easy to get lost in the crush of more, now, faster! When you find yourself becoming overwhelmed, try deliberately slowing your pace.
Schedule meetings with enough time for you to walk an extra block to the office. Rather than rushing your takeaway coffee, sit down in the cafe and take some time to people watch.
Life isn’t going to be smooth sailing all the time, particularly if you’re career driven. But if you can take the time where possible to slow down, you’ll find inner peace practically discovers itself.
2. Get out Into Nature
The effects of nature on one’s well-being has been well documented. Spending time in natural surrounds reduces stress, improves your mood, and helps with cognitive performance.
When stress becomes too much to handle, one of the best ways to find inner peace is to get out into nature.
If long car trips are out of the question, seek out your local park or preserve. Cultivating your own garden at home is also an excellent way of including greenery in your life.
3. Use the Power of Sound
Over half the world’s population lives in cities. This trend toward increasing urbanization is great in some respects. But living in cities comes with extra stressors as well. Noise pollution being one of the worst.
Noise pollution is defined as intrusive noise that distracts, detracts, or disrupts one’s regular functioning. Even if you think you’re well-practiced at ignoring the superfluous noise that comes with urban living, you’ll find your brain is still working overtime in the background to parse the extra sensory input.
One of the best ways to quiet a noisy environment, and a noisy brain, is to give it one thing to focus on.
Listening to a relaxation playlist shouldn’t be saved for your weekly yoga class. Queue up that bad boy whenever you’re finding your stress levels rising.
If your life is a particularly busy or loud one, then investing in some noise-canceling headphones can be a great idea too.
4. Focus on the Now
It can be all too easy to dwell on past mistakes or bitterness. But one of the best things you can do to find inner peace is to let go of the past.
Instead of focusing on the things you could have done differently in the past, focus on the here and now. Plan actions and goals that are achievable going forward.
By letting go of the past, you let go of those things you can’t control. Leaning from the past is important, but letting it dwell as bitterness and regrets helps no one.
5. Practice Gratitude
When everything’s going wrong, it can be easy to get caught up in the negativity. But doubling down on everything that’s causing you stress will just compound the negative emotions.
Instead of focusing on the negative, try practicing gratitude. Find things in your life that you’re grateful for.
Friends, family, health, and achievements are all great things to keep in mind. Faith websites like Christ Like Media can also help you reframe your thoughts through your beliefs.
6. Forgive Yourself
Self-care is more than lighting a few candles and sequestering yourself in the bath with a good book. It’s also the practice of being kind to yourself.
If your hardships can be traced back to a mistake on your part then the best thing you can do for your peace of mind is forgiving yourself. Be mindful that you’re human, and humans make mistakes.
The best you can do is learn from your latest mistake and employ that lesson moving forward.
7. Allow Yourself to Experience Negative Emotion
With all this talk of letting negative emotion go, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking the act of experiencing bad feelings is a personal failing. It’s not!
Staying positive doesn’t mean emotions like sadness and anger should be banished altogether. Negative emotion is an important part of the human condition. It helps us learn from our mistakes and can be used constructively.
So as life overwhelms you, take some time to sit with your stress, your frustration, and your sadness. Acknowledge them as the human emotions they are. Be kind to yourself as you process them.
8. Organise Your Surroundings
Studies show that physical clutter in your surrounding environment competes for your attention. This can result in decreased performance and higher stress levels.
Organising your surroundings can also be an excellent way to assert your control over something within your reach. If another part of your life is slipping away from you, this small act of organization can be an excellent booster.
So the next time you find the stress of life overwhelming you, try turning your attention to your desk, or your living room, or the study. De-cluttering your workspace won’t fix that bombed project proposal, but it will help you find inner peace during your trying times.
9. Meditate
Meditation doesn’t require strenuous yoga poses and cloying incense. It’s simply the act of turning your thought processes inwards.
Even just focusing on your breathing can reduce stress and change the way you interact with your surrounds.
If you’re not one for self-guided meditation then there are numerous guided programs on the Internet. Simply carve out your meditation space and fire up YouTube.
10. Me Mindful of Your Body
This one goes hand in hand with meditation but can also be practiced separately.
When we’re stressed or upset, we tend to hold that tension in our bodies. Muscles, particularly in the back or neck, will tense up and remain that way if we’re not careful.
One of the best ways to find inner peace is to work from the outside in. Take stock of your body and make a point to consciously unclench those muscles that have become locked.
Find Inner Peace for a Happier Life
The modern world is a hectic one. It can be tough staying afloat amidst all your responsibilities. With these 10 tips, you’ll be able to give yourself a much-needed break and find that oft-illusive inner peace.
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