3 Practices for Inner Peace and Calm for a Busy Lifestyle
When you were young, you probably dreamed of becoming an adult, so you could do what you want, when you want. Actually, you’re probably a busier woman than you would like to be, with family, work and so much more.
You need to find a way to achieve inner peace and calm, regardless of how busy your schedule is. Even if you don’t have the time for a vacation, retreat, or get away from your everyday schedule, you can still use these three practices to clear and calm your mind.
Develop self-compassion
This is a vital practice if you seek inner peace. When you experience failures or make mistakes in life, you may criticize yourself too harshly. That will only reinforce low self-esteem and negative emotions.
Rather, you should treat yourself with the care and kindness that you so frequently offer friends. When you do make mistakes, speak to yourself not with disgust but rather with understanding. Acknowledge the reasons why the errors occurred and focus on the ways to improve.
Avoid setting unrealistic goals for yourself and be accepting and patient during times when you don’t quite reach those goals. Credit yourself for goals you meet and appreciate your accomplishments and effort. This is not a time-consuming practice, which makes it ideal for a busy lifestyle.
Use silence in a positive way
Life today is as noisy and busy as it has probably ever been. You need to find moments where you can live in silence. Sitting in silence for as little as 5 or 10 minutes per day can offer you profound inner peace and calm.
You don’t have to sit in silence. You can use silence when you walk, exercise, or enjoy a meal or snack. This helps you to foster a deep connection with your inner calm. Reduce the noise in your life and invite peace by cutting back on your exposure to computers, radios, and TVs. You can use whatever free time you have.
Take notice of the areas of your life that include excessive noise. Use those times to invite intentional silence. Turning your phone off when you can, and walking or exercising without headphones or earbuds will create times of positive silence in your daily life.
Redefine meditation.
Meditation is not something that can only be achieved by monks. There are many ways to meditate and using them will help you find inner peace and a sense of calm.
Focused meditation allows you to concentrate on things that may be internal, like places you enjoy or goals you have achieved, or external, like ambient noises or parts of the body. Work on zeroing in on things and it will be easier to acknowledge them.
Grateful meditation means counting your blessings. Write down things that you are grateful to have in your life. The more you do this, the more you’ll see that you have much in life for which you can give thanks. Being grateful helps you develop a sense of peace, even in your busy life.
Mindful meditation refers to seeing thoughts as they are running through your mind, noticing them, and letting them go without dwelling on them or judging them. This helps you to see that you are a witness to your thoughts, not a product of them.
Conclusion
Inner peace and calm are essential parts of a fulfilled life. When you take the time in your busy life to care for yourself, you will become better equipped to be caring to others, and your impact on the world around you will be positive.
Utilizing the practices like those above takes practice. Start slowly and don’t become impatient as you bring inner peace to your life through these methods. Allow yourself to enjoy relaxing activities that will recharge you.
Do one or more things each day that are only for you. This will allow you to calm yourself even during your busiest days, and find inner peace, where you can refresh yourself.