Creating Inner Peace

Before I wrote my Monday quote of the day this morning I got quiet and asked myself this, what topic is up for me? What do I want and need to be aware of, to express and to be mindful of this week? The two words that arose were, INNER PEACE.

So what is inner peace anyway?  

In the quote I chose today on inner peace, Pearls Buck describes it like this…
“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.”

I love this quote, and as I reflect on it a visual of a bubbling springs arises, housed deep in my soul, behind my eyes in the center of my head, this is where my inner peace resides. 

Okay, now that my right brain’s intuitive and creative woo woo center is satisfied, I’ll get on with my response to the question above. 😉

Inner peace to me, is a feeling of connection, gratitude and presence. In other words, freedom from my thoughts, peace of mind! 

Harvard trained brain scientist, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor says, we can all find inner peace any time we want to by tapping into the right hemisphere of our brain.  

Dr. Taylor described in her interview last week with Oprah on Super Soul Sunday, that while she was experienceing a stroke and the left hemisphere of her brain completely shut down, she felt this feeling of immense happiness, inner peace, freedom and connection to all that is. I highly recommend watching the episode with Oprah and reading Dr. Taylor’s book, My Stroke of Insight, which you can find on the Resources page in the Carousel of recommended books. It’s an incredible recovery, rebirth and discovery memoir.  

So how does one tap into their own inner peace?

By paying attention to what you’re thinking, and remembering that you are not your thoughts.

I know, that’s such a general statement, and yet, it is truly that simple. Now I didn’t say it was easy, I said it was simple, there’s a big difference between the two.

Dr. Taylor says that chemically it takes only 90 seconds for a strong emotion, like anger for example, to flush right through your body. So maybe for you, inner peace might mean experiencing relief from anger.

If so, I encourage you to try this experiment the next time you feel angry, or some other strong emotion, time yourself, and you will see that after 90 seconds, the anger or emotion will have passed. The only reason for it to continue after 90 seconds would be if you are attached to the thought and continue to give it life.

Here are a few suggestions to attaining inner peace.

1.  Breathe – Focusing on three conscious breaths will bring you right back to present and quiet your mind.

2.  Accept what is –  Your energy goes where your attention flows, so be mindful of your thoughts and resistance. What is, is. Just let things be as they are and you’ll notice a softening take place inside of you and a clarity of mind as well as focus.

“Acceptance of others, their looks, their behaviors, their beliefs, bring you an inner peace and tranquility – instead of anger and resentment.”  Unknown

3. Patience and kindness – Be patient and kind to yourself as you’re practicing being more present and peaceful in your life. You have responded for many years in one way, so give yourself permission to be perfectly imperfect. Finding inner peace is like creating a new habit, you need consistency, repetition, patience and a lot of self-love!

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”  St. Francis de Sales

I invite you to reflect upon these two questions.

Where do you focus your attention?

Are your thoughts creating the kind of life you want to live in to?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about inner peace. Leave a comment below and let’s discuss! 🙂

With love,

Joy