3 QUICK TIPS TO FEELING INNER PEACE- EVEN WHEN THE WORLD SEEMS TO BE FALLING APART AROUND YOU
IS WORLD PEACE POSSIBLE?
In this time of pandemic, protests, racism, riots, political unrest and half truths and lies running rampant, it definitely seems like world peace is the furthest thing from possible.
The thing about the concept of an ideal state of happiness, freedom and peace within and among all people and nations on Planet Earth, is that the only way it can ever be achieved is through each individual. So until every single person on Earth knows and understands how to achieve peace in their life, and self govern, there cannot be world peace.
But that doesn't mean that those who want to feel peace while living in the chaotic world can't achieve the important goal of feeling peace in their own lives and in their own homes. In fact, if enough people have this goal, whole neighborhoods and communities can live in peace. You may ask, "So if all I can feel with all that's going on around me is fear, anger and hatred, where do I even start to find inner peace?
Tip 1:
It starts with the ability to self govern. This part isn't quick. Peaceful people have a moral compass and have learned how to love💗, despite what others choose, even when their choices make life hard for us. They have learned how to forgive- how to not get easily offended. Peaceful people make an effort to put pride aside and be humble, which affects the way they respond to interactions with other people. Humble people don't lash back when an angry person attacks them, they put their own feelings on the back burner and try to understand where the person is coming from. But nobody's perfect, everyone who has the goal to be a good person and feel peace is still working on those things- some just work harder than others!
The quick tip here is to adhere to the golden rule that most people hopefully learned when they were kids:
"Do unto others as you've have done unto you."
»If you want others to treat you with respect, respect them.
»If you want to be loved by others, love them first.
»If you want to be understood by others, try to understand their point of view.
And you get the point.
Tip 2:
All of the traits of being able to self govern which were listed before - love, forgiveness, humility- were taught by Jesus Christ. And beyond Christianity, many other religious groups support these virtues as well. Another name for Jesus Christ is "The Prince of Peace" So that one pretty much says it all. Connect your whole soul to Jesus Christ to be able to quickly access peace whenever you need it. The connecting part might take some time, study, prayer and relationship building but once you're connected, you have someone you can turn to in any crazy, difficult or chaotic situation. So the quick part here is:
Say a prayer and ask God for peace through His son, the Prince of Peace.
Even if you're not connected to Him, try it. If you believe it will bring peace, it will.
Tip 3:
If we're looking for inner peace, it would make sense that we'd need to go inward. Meditation will help us access our inner soul or spirit. The practice of meditation is so broad that it is really accessible to anyone. Here are some ways you can meditate to achieve inner peace:
»Close your eyes. Take slow, even breaths- focus on them. You can count them or incorporate a mantra like "In comes peace" on the breath in and on the breath out, "out goes fear" (or anger, or confusion or whatever negative feeling caused you to feel empty of peace).
»Put on some calming music (you can find meditation music on YouTube with that search) and visualize yourself in a place where you can feel peace. Visualization is my personal favorite. In fact, I love combining this with tip 2. It has been powerful to visualize myself connecting with or talking to my Savior.
Many people have had hard lives. Especially those who are either causing the world to experience upheaval, or those who struggle to be able to find inner peace. Many people grow up in broken homes, never knew their father, were mistreated as a child. The beauty of this life is that we have the ability to change, to grow, to move forward.