Peace of mind or inner peace

Peace of Mind - what is peace?

A lovely cup of tea in my hand on a warm sunny afternoon I wonder if this is peace of mind or is it contentment. I look around and find people so busy that they have no time to enjoy the success they achieved, is it worth it working so hard for something that you never enjoy? Sipping my tea, listening to the birds chirp as they pick off the last few fruits off the tree before sunset, stuffing themselves up and enjoying every bit of it, contentment. Is it peace of mind or contentment?

Are humans ever at peace, the birds seem content enough, give a dog a bone and when he is through he seem content enough, the flowers shaking their heads in the gentle breeze seem content, the squirrels colleting the nuts seem to be in absolute peace within themselves and with their environment.

Then my questions is why not humans?

What is peace of mind?

Ha! I have the answer. Oh yes I guess so. We humans are in search of so much, we want all that we see, especially all those things that we don’t have but our neighbors or coworkers or relatives have.

I am reminded of a neighbor who had a small utility vehicle that was best suited to her business. Then another neighbour bought a swanky car which all of us openly or secretively admired and that was it. I suddenly found my neighbour who had the SUV drive in a swanky car; only this one was not new. This car proved to be a guzzler for fuel and was a great burden and soon jealousy extracted a price.. the neighbour was left minus the car depending on public transport. I wonder if people stop to think and ask themselves if they really need the things that they hanker after so much.

Peace of mind is not about having things, or being happy and not fighting with others, it is a state of mind that is always balanced, happy, filled with joy and inner peace. It is about being able to live with oneself.

Finding peace of mind

Organize your mind

I have seen many people who have their TV or the music /ipods or some device blaring at them during all all waking hours, they seem to need noise to be alone. Time alone is time to organize the mind so it can be at peace. Sparing the time to organize your self internally is the hardest thing for most people to do. We organize our rooms, our homes, our desks and throw out the garbage, keep only what is needed, file and put away stuff so that the place is in order.

The kind of garbage we collect in a day in our minds is amazing; I recently saw discussion on HubPages on what is the worst insult you have ever received. Not only do we collect garbage we have them around for decades and air them out at any given opportunity.

We need to get rid of the negative emotions in our minds. Especially the insults we receive or the unkind words people say in anger or the garbage that has come from an unthinking person. We hurt and bleed internally sometimes even without knowing it, some of us are even dying from it. These disturb our peace of mind and prevent us from functioning to the fullest potential.

We need to get over of those past experiences that plague us, it is not easy but we need to do it for our own good.

Overcome negative emotions and negative thoughts that destroy your peace of mind

Let go of all that is negative, we need to realize that people have situations and circumstances and moods that they are dealing with and they react from that place, so do we. The more we hold on to such negative words and ruminate on them the more we are hurt and we in turn hurt others.

Forgiveness may be considered as a great virtue, but I would like to look at it as a necessity. Yes you need to forgive more for your sake, than for the sake of the other if you need to keep your balance. Forgiving someone takes the weight off your chest, reduces the hurt and the pain and lets it go by.

Forget the negative words or actions

Forgetting is the last step of cleaning up, it is like throwing out the waste and getting rid of it once and for all. This means if you let go, forgive and forget you bear no grudges at all and you can have a new beginning.

You allow you self to move ahead and grow without hold ups.

Do not revisit negative thought and emotions Self pity is something that people should avoid. I have seen those with emotional problems as I work with them everyday, people who face the problems head on are the ones that are able to overcome their difficulty, those that indulge in self pity get stuck in the same place and are overwhelmed by their problems.

Replace the negative thoughts with positive thoughts

Do not tie your growth to others. I have seen people complaining but she did that or he did not do that.. as if your mind is controlled by the intentions and actions of others.

Do your best and move on, this would help us keep our focus on ourselves and our growth.

Filling your mind with positive thoughts is filling your mind with hope and motivation. So spend a few minutes to fill your mind with pleasant thoughts about each of your endeavors. This helps you get through your day smoothly.

Believe and act. Believe in yourself and act on it. Approach every job with hope and belief that it will work out well, believe that you can do it.

Believe in people around you, don’t be biased about people from your first or limited time with the person.

Keep an open mind learn new things.

Refuse to entertain doubts and let life stress you out .

Do not be apologetic about everything, some people seem to apologize for the very air they breathe, remember you need to know that you have a right to be, to do as everyone else.

Be self confident and hold yourself in high esteem plays a huge part in being happy or keeping your peace of mind

Laugh, smile and make the most of every situation. To put it simply lighten up, don’t take yourself more seriously than you should. Don’t make it as if everyone is watching and weighing you out.. they have their own selves to deal with. Laughing releases endorphins the body’s feel good chemicals that send messages of wellbeing to your brain, it has the power to relieve pain. It naturally boosts your immune system and fights all germs and diseases. It relaxes your body and as you laugh all tension and stress leave and you mind is free and recharged. So go ahead see the funny side of things even about yourself and laugh your head off. I always make a joke of myself so it does not hurt when people say the same things..

Happiness is a state of mind peace of mind is a way of hold on to it while making the best of your life. It is a learned attitude, though it seems difficult at first it is not impossible.

How to maintain your peace of mind?

There is a passage from the Bible that says a lot about how to maintain your peace.

Meditate on what is positive

Philipians 4:8 ... meditate on ( or think only about) whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy.Basically it tells you keep your mind on all that is positive to find and keep your peace of mind.

Love, oh yes, it is the most wonderful thing one human can give another, it has the power to nurture, build nourish, grow, change, protect..etc.. Use it. You will not only make other happy but will be filled with inner peace.

Cultivate your peace of mind through spiritual meditation. I believe that as we organize our minds, get understanding, grow in maturity, peace of mind and spirit envelops us completely.