Everyone faces challenges and obstacles in life. So what makes some people fair well during these challenges and not others? What makes some of us frame an event in a negative light and others frame an event in a positive light? One explanation may be that certain people are more skilled at finding inner peace during times of trouble.
But finding inner peace is not just for a select few. Anyone can learn how to achieve inner peace. It just takes some practice getting in touch with yourself and changing the way you think about yourself, your life, and your circumstances.
What is Inner Peace?
Inner peace is often described as a state mental and spiritual peace. Achieving inner peace therefore requires the knowledge and understanding to keep oneself balanced when faced with life challenges or stress.
Inner peace can help us stay healthy, mentally and emotionally, and maintain a sort of homeostasis, so that we are not constantly stressed or anxious.
How to Achieve Inner Peace
How exactly does one achieve inner peace? It’s not exactly a hard science. Inner peace may mean something a little bit different for each of us, but there are some things that anyone can do to gain more of it.
The trick is to pick something that brings you more inner peace and work on it. You may notice more peace almost instantly, or it may take some time. There is no right or wrong way.
Here are 5 ways to achieve more inner peace:
1. Set Goals, Not Expectations
It’s important that you do not base your inner happiness on a certain outcome. Otherwise, when something doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would, it can destroy your inner peace.
Instead of setting too many expectations, especially for events and circumstances that are out of your control, try setting goals. When you have goals, you are not as attached to a certain outcome. If you don’t reach a certain goal, take some time to reevaluate and set another goal.
2. Realize Your Inherent Worth
When something negative happens in your life, it’s easy to blame yourself. If enough negative things happen, you may start feeling as if you don’t deserve any better.
This is simply not true. Everyone is worthy of good things happening in their lives, including you.
Do whatever it is you need to do to realize your worth. Watch inspirational and motivational videos, read positive self-help books, and surround yourself with people who believe in your worth.
3. Reframe Negatives as Challenges on Your Journey
Everything that happens in your life is an opportunity for growth. You can choose how you view your circumstances and the things that happen to you. Choose to see all the negatives in your life simply as challenges on your journey of growth. What your journey is, you get to decide.
4. Know the Power of Shifting Your Perspective
Sometimes, all we need is a shift in perspective. You can gain a new perspective in many different ways. Try one of these:
- Talk to a friend who you know will see your situation in a different light.
- Hire a life coach.
- Meditate.
- Take a long nature walk.
- Journal your thoughts.
Shifting your perspective can make all the difference. It can help you see something a positive rather than negative, and it can help you see more life choices where you saw none before. It’s truly a form of empowerment.
5. Inner Peace is an Ongoing Process
The most important thing to remember is that inner peace is not something that you reach once and for all. It’s an ongoing process, one that you should be engaging in for the rest of your life. You’ll hopefully get better and better at it the more you practice it.
But, whenever you are feeling inwardly out of balance, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It just means it’s time to work on your inner peace once again. Try incorporating practices of inner peace into your daily life.
Vanessa integrates EMDR, sandtray, and attachment-focused approaches in her work and is completing credentials toward Registered Play Therapist and EMDRIA certification. With a background as a certified birth doula and a passion for making healing accessible, she writes and teaches on the intersection of trauma, neurodevelopment, and story-based therapy.