Three Daily Practices to Cultivate Inner Peace

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When was the last time you genuinely felt peaceful?

As I am getting older, I feel less peaceful about my life.  I am constantly worried about things, whether it is paying bills, student loans, achieving goals, advancing in my career, starting a family and having enough money and time to do everything I imagine for my life. Moreover the added concern over the state of the world, constant negative news, and the sense of doom whether it is due to climate change or the apocalypse. 

Feeling peaceful at a time like now feels like a luxury.

Defining inner peace

Inner peace can be defined as a state of calmness you feel within yourself despite the hardships and challenges you are facing.

Inner peace isn't the absence of life's challenges; rather, it's a deliberate intention to remain calm and centered despite hardships. Recognizing this has been a learning process for me. A great reminder that I can choose how I respond to challenging circumstances in my life and inherently cultivate the sense of calm and control within me.

So I wanted to share three daily practices that have helped me feel a sense of inner peace.

Do what you can do and let go of things you have no control over.

Not everything is within our control, but identifying and focusing on the aspects we can control in our daily lives is crucial. 

For example, My partner and I recently found ourselves in a predicament, grappling with the desire to buy a home amid a housing market that is  overwhelmingly inflated, and out of hand interest rates.

Our initial response was one of frustration and worry. We spent weeks agonizing over the state of the housing market and  unyielding interest rates. We felt powerless in the face of a larger economic crisis. 

However, a moment of clarity emerged when we realized the simple truth – not everything is within our control. The housing market and interest rates are external factors beyond our influence. What we could control, though, was our response and our actions. We decided to shift our perspective and let go of the unnecessary stress. 

Instead of being immobilized by factors we couldn't change, we focused on what we could control - our savings and our timeline.

We adjusted out timeline and decided to continue saving for another year until another opportunity to buy a home presented itself.

I don’t know exactly what you are going through but whatever the situation - focus on what you can do. Finding inner peace requires a deliberate action on your part and that is to choose how you respond to situations in your life  and finding ways to avoid unnecessary stress.

Detach yourself from specific outcomes

I recently came across this You tube short of Coco Gauf at The US Open after she had won the tournament and what she said left me speechless.

I don’t pray for results. I just pray for strength to give it my all and whatever happens happens - Coco Gauff

This is such a profound way of thinking.

Instead of focusing on specific outcomes, focus on what you can do to the best of your ability.

The lack of inner peace stems from being too focused on results and outcomes. Hence, when you don’t get the specific outcome you become disappointed.

For someone who is goal oriented, I have to remind myself that it is about the journey and not the destination. As the year comes to an end I can’t help but feel bad about some of the goals I did not achieve. However when I look back and notice the progress I have made and the lessons I have learnt along the way, I know that it matters more than I am growing. 

While having goals gives us direction and perhaps motivation towards something. It is the systems and processes we develop that truly transform and produce change in our lives. 

Inner peace comes from knowing that you are actively doing the work that needs to be done to get to where you want to be in life and detaching yourself from the outcome.

Keep an open mind and allow for your potential to be unlimited.

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Daily mental detox

When the term "detox" comes up, we often associate it with juice cleanses or practices that exclusively focus on the body. However, a detox is more than just cleansing the physical self—it's a process of eliminating toxic substances from both your body and mind.

Understanding the significance of detoxing your mind is as vital as caring for your physical well-being. Personally, I kickstart my day with a practice I call a "brain dump." I invest a minimum of 10 minutes jotting down thoughts, ideas, and any lingering concerns. This ritual not only clears my mind but also releases any negative thoughts and feelings, setting the stage for a day filled with positivity and increased mental energy.

An additional advantage of this practice is the space it creates for fostering new ideas and making better decisions. Detoxing your mind can take various forms, such as journaling, going for a walk, engaging in meditation, or having a heartfelt conversation with a close friend, family member, or therapist. The goal is to externalize your thoughts, expressing any feelings or concerns that may be weighing on your mind.

I firmly believe that the state of your mind is intricately linked to your inner peace. By initiating the detox process with your mind, you set in motion a positive ripple effect that extends to every facet of your life.

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In the pursuit of inner peace, the power lies in your daily choices. By focusing on what you can control, detaching from specific outcomes, and incorporating a daily mental detox, you actively contribute to your mental well-being. Remember, inner peace is a journey, not a destination.

As always I would love to hear back from you. Please share anything that resonated with you from this post and your experiences with finding inner peace. How do you go about cultivating inner peace in your life? Leave a comment below.

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