by Erae Nelsen

Created on: November 20, 2008

Inner peace is a feeling of satisfaction and calm no matter your surroundings. What a wonderful thought, being able to chill while the world falls apart around you. Anyone can increase their chance at inner peace in a few easy steps.

FIVE STEPS TO INNER PEACE:

1) Develop a calming habit. Remember when you were little and you carried that blanket around that always made you feel better? Well maybe a blanket isn't so practical anymore but there is no reason you couldn't carry around a smaller "security" item. For example, some people put a worry stone in their pocket and rub it whenever they're stressed. This gives you something to do besides grit your teeth or tense your forehead.

When you're with your security item just think of how calm you can be. Think of how nice it is to be calm. Instill the item with happy thoughts and remind yourself that worrying doesn't fix anything. Take steps to solve whatever is bothering you and then let it go.

If you are forgetful and don't want to lose your binky (or have to explain yourself) then practice breathing as your calming habit. Breathing is something most people take for granted. If you learn to calm yourself with breathing you can calm yourself anywhere at any time.

A calming breath is deep, as slow as possible and done in a rhythm. Concentrate on how slow you can go. And remember to expand your abdomen/stomach- not your rib cage and chest with each inhalation. This breathing isn't noisy, and it won't be obvious that you have changed your breathing at all.

2) Evaluate your life. You know those awful thoughts that wake you at 3:00 in the morning in a panic or depression? Get to the root of them. Figure out exactly what you're doing that you can change and make them go away. Apologize to enemies, apologize to yourself. Are you dissatisfied with your career? Maybe you can't change right this minute it but you can plan for the future. And in the meantime find things about your work day that make you feel proud.

If your life is in shambles there is no reason you can't turn things around. It's never to late to make changes for the better. Enjoy the process of change and congratulate yourself on not giving up.

3) Make a daily happiness list. This is an exceptionally helpful step toward inner peace that only takes a few minutes before bed, or when you wake up. Write out every single thing you can think of that you're grateful for. You'll be shocked at how long your list is. Don't worry if the list is the same every day. It may or may not be, but you will still have a long list of awesome things to focus on.

4) Schedule relaxation. Some people lead hectic lives and never take a moment to themselves. If they do manage to find time they feel guilty and fill it with thoughts of what else they should be doing. Don't be that person. Fix a half an hour at a time you won't forget. Maybe first thing in the morning, maybe right before bed. The time itself doesn't matter because you can plan a relaxing event accordingly. Walks, stretching, journaling, or just laying down and thinking- these things are very relaxing and doing them every day will hugely increase your inner peace.

5) Spirituality. You may already have this down. You may be resistant to it. You might be indifferent, but whatever your attitude thinking about life beyond the daily grind will give you peace of mind. You don't have to have a specific religion or church, though you can if you want. All you need to do is realize that there is something beyond the mess you stress over.

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