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This past week, I have had the privilege of spending time in Arches National Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the spectacular, serene surroundings of Monument Valley. I am currently in the lobby of The View Resort, listening to ancient flute music and reflecting on my own inner peace. I found this article while reflecting on my inner peace, and it gives a quick reference to inner peace. This is not the complete article; please read the complete article.
“How to Find Inner Peace
More elusive than happiness, but with greater benefits.
Cowritten by Nathalie Boutros, Ph.D., and Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
Generally, inner peace is defined as a low-arousal positive emotional state coupled with a sense of balance or stability (Cherif et al., 2022). Low-arousal positive states are those calm and relaxed happy feelings that aren’t extreme or exciting. They include feelings of calmness, serenity, tranquility, and contentment, in contrast to feelings like exuberance, ecstasy, or euphoria. Low-arousal positive feelings come from within and may be more authentic, stable, and durable than high-arousal positive feelings (Dambrun et al., 2012).
Inner peace means balance, equanimity, even-mindedness, harmony, and stability (Desbordes et al., 2015). Pleasures are experienced and enjoyed without getting overexcited while pains are experienced without getting despondent. This evenness of temper may guard against dangers that come from excessive positive or excessive negative emotions.
Excessive positive emotion may put a person at risk of developing an unhealthy compulsion to consume, acquire, or strive, which may in turn lead to addiction, materialism, or ruthlessness. Excessive negative emotions, on the other hand, may lead to aggression, defensiveness, or dishonesty (Xi & Lee, 2021). Both of these extremes are to be avoided, and inner peace means existing in a state of balance and stability.
In Sum
Inner peace is contentment, presence, and balance that doesn’t change as outside circumstances change. Although finding inner peace may be a more difficult, more arduous task than finding happiness, the benefits may be far greater. Happiness is usually fleeting—the vacation ends, your new car gets dented, and your new job becomes routine. Inner peace, which comes from within, doesn’t change as circumstances change.
However, inner peace, unlike happiness, needs to be cultivated and developed through mindful living. By choosing to intentionally develop inner peace, you may discover a sense of serenity, tranquility, balance, and stability that is with you always, in your good times and in your bad times.”
As I sit here and let the worries of the world fade away, I think about how we get so wrapped up in living, whether this is our career, finances, worldly possessions, or just surviving the struggles of our society. How can we find inner peace in our everyday lives? I would love to find this balance in my life, reduce my stress at work, and be able to go to this place anytime I want.
Another article I found made it clear.
How to Find Inner Peace in the Chaos (12 Deep Paths)
by Aletheia · Updated: Sep 24, 2023
“Put simply, inner peace is the byproduct of letting go and surrendering to whatever this moment, this every-changing movement of life, presents to us.
Inner peace isn’t about chasing, striving, and trying to ‘earn’ tranquility.You can’t. Trying to ‘fight’ for inner peace is contradictory and pointless: it just deepens our suffering.
Instead, finding inner peace is about relinquishing our need to control and fight. Essentially, you could say it’s about giving up – but not in a disempowering way. Rather, it’s a form of resignation that is based on a deeper understanding that Life is perfectly orchestrating everything we’re experiencing based on a deep wisdom we cannot possibly fathom – typically for our growth and healing. Therefore, why the need to constantly resist everything?
“But doesn’t this mean I’ll become a pushover or doormat that people can abuse if I just ‘let go’?” you may wonder. No. Living life from a place of letting go and surrendering isn’t about allowing ourselves to be used or abused. We still need to practice self-care, self-respect, and self-love. This can mean setting boundaries, saying no, and removing ourselves from harmful situations. But letting go also means surrendering our resentment, blame, and hatred toward others. Do you see the difference? Life is about balance.”
How do you find balance in life while still living in the world? For me, I need to find this daily peace through meditation, music, yoga, or the outdoors. I also need to find more time, as I am experiencing right now, for a complete break from the daily schedule. I would love to hear how you detach from the stress of this world.
We live in a fast-paced world, and many of us may not be able to get out of this pressure and may not even want to, but I think we can all find a healthy balance between our fast-paced lives and inner peace. I am reading the book, “The 5 AM Club” by Robin Sharma. I have not completed the book yet, but the premise is taking the first hour, 5 AM, to do something for you that grounds you before your day starts. I am enjoying the book very much, I am completing this article in that time, on a Saturday morning, not sleeping in like I would normally do. I hope you can find your time to work on your inner peace.
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