Peace of Mind
“Set peace of mind as your highest goal and organize your life around it.” I think more than being happy in today’s times, really having peace of mind – whatever the circumstances are; whether favourable or unfavourable matters the most.
The acceptance to be able to deal with any type of mental or physical trauma and accept your reality is what really matters. Our brain needs to remain be calm, at ease and untroubled by worry.
Otherwise, what is the point of chronic worry and how will it alleviate your anxiety, depression, disruptive/dissocial behaviours, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, autism, etc.?
At one point of time in my life, I thought that peace was a destination in a similar way that I would reach happiness or success. However, this is not at all true. It was part of the process of being more at peace; in the same way, I was already happy and successful – I just wanted to be happier and more successful in my life.
Right from our childhood to adolescence to our mid-twenties, thirties and forties we are constantly battling one problem after another. Whether it is scoring marks in our studies in our school or college, relationships, friendships, household problems, marriage problems, problems with our parents or health; there is an endless number of reasons which can destabilize our peace of mind.
However, instead of getting so caught up and tangled in any of these problems, we need to pause and really think of the consequences of losing our cool over such problems. Are these problems permanent? Will they ever go away? Are these fights going to last forever and are they even worthy of losing your sleep over?
Is anything worthy of the brain damage these mental health problems cause and if that is so, is there any way that you can re-wire your brain; Synaptic plasticity leads to dysfunctional plasticity and in turn underlies a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Overthinking, over-analysing situations, replaying conversations or events over and over again in the mind, creating hypothetical scenarios, etc. can all lead to mental exhaustion and restlessness. At such times it can be extremely challenging to find your peace when your mind is constantly running here and there. Besides this, there are so many external factors that can destroy your peace of mind such as climate change, poverty, financial problems, transborder crime, cyber-attacks, etc. which can lead to violent and deadly conflicts across the world.
Peace and happiness are often misunderstood to be the same but are not. While peace is unconditional, happiness is on the other hand very conditional. Happiness cannot remain forever, whereas peace can. The level of happiness can be judged while the level of peace cannot be judged. While happiness is the state of being satisfied, peace is a sense of fulfilment. There are four levels of peace; inner peace, peaceful relationships, peaceful community and peace in the world.
Inner peace and peace also have a stark difference. Inner peace refers to being calm with one’s self and not engaging in overthinking and analysing too much. It also is a state of spiritual or psychological calm, despite the presence of stressors. It means attaining happiness, bliss and contentment – no matter how difficult things become in your life.
Outer peace refers to our behaviours and actions. It can be seen in your surroundings such as home, school, community, and environment. However, without inner peace, you will never be able to value outer peace or be able to create it for others.
However, inner peace is known to be very important as it helps us to see our path clearer, focus and keep track of our goals. When we have clear goals, it is like having a compass – we know where we want to go, and we are able to aim for it and commit to these goals – trusting that all the obstacles are worthy challenges rather than intimidating threats.
We need to know our belief system in order to willingly act upon ourselves. We all have the ability to practice mental strength exercises every day such as mindfulness, taking cold showers, meditation, Sudoku games, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, or any other game which relies on logic, words, math and visuospatial skills.
Goal-setting, self-talk, routines, imagery and breathing are all examples of some of the mental exercises and tools that can be used to sharpen the skills of the mind. Some other activities include jogging, swimming, walking, dancing and gardening to reduce anxiety and depression.
When we engage in such activities on a regular basis it can have profound positive impacts on our health such as reducing depression, Dyslexia, anxiety, ADHD and stress. These activities also reduce stress levels, improve memory, help with sleep habits and boost mood.
The most important thing to remember about peace is to treat others the way you want to be treated. However, if something is perpetually bothering you and stressing you out disturbing your peace of mind it is time to re-evaluate the situation and either take steps to resolve the situation or accept that you can’t change it.
Our peace is in our hands and does not depend on whether we are able to solve a situation or problem. Our peace of mind is dependent on the fact that we have the ability to control our emotions even if things don’t work our way and not get emotionally damaged in the process.
Peace needs to be created by us and we cannot rely on others to get the same. It is only when we have peace with our family, neighbours, society, and cities; that we can hope to achieve peace anywhere else.
It is important to identify all the triggers for the disruption of peace such as trouble, disobeying, overstepping boundaries, gossiping, etc.
Immanuel Kant, a modern philosopher is known for his universal ethics and cosmopolitan outlook which provided an extensive basis for a philosophy of peace.
- Do not let the behaviour of others destroy your inner peace.—Dalai Lama
- Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.—Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Peace brings with it so many positive emotions that it is worth aiming for in all circumstances. —Estella Eliot
- You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory. —J. Donald Walters
