5 Simple Ways To Gain Inner Peace No Matter How Busy You Are

Recently I shared with you how your emotional health impacts your hormones.

To expand on that, today I want to share some simple ways to help you rain in emotions.

In our fast-paced, hectic world, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. I know you likely have a never-ending to-do list, bills to pay, children to care for and careers to manage. Being constantly on the go, with places to be, deadlines to meet, and “not enough time” in our day, anxiety, depression and fear can wreak havoc with our minds and our internal equilibrium.

Far too often as women, we place ourselves and our own self-care at the bottom of the pile, and it seems there is simply no space or time for us to develop even the simplest of routines that can help to bring us inner calm and contentment.

However, there are ways to get around this conundrum. Once you know these simple techniques, you can increase the amount of calm in your day, even as you are on the go.

Here are five of the simplest ways you can develop peace of mind, no matter how busy you are:

Practice Gratitude

Research shows that people, who regularly practice gratitude experience greater life satisfaction, have increased levels of happiness and are less prone to depression. An attitude of gratitude can improve sleep and bring about a feeling of contentment, as opposed to a sense of emptiness, hopelessness, longing, and constant dissatisfaction encouraged by our materialistic society, which tells us, we can never, ever have enough. You can say your “thankyous” silently to yourself as you go throughout your day. Make sure you really feel grateful.

Breathe

Breathing is a simple and potent way to induce the relaxation response in your body. Whenever you feel stressed, take a few minutes to just breathe. Contrary to what your mother might have told you, don’t, “Take a deep breath.” Science tells us that breathing in increases the stress response while breathing out helps to relax us. Try breathing in for two and out for four.

Seek Out Positive And Like-Minded Souls

Surround yourself with people who support you, and love you for being you. If you are around people who drain you, or insist on being detrimental or critical towards you, it is time to drop them from your life.

Stretch Out Time

This is an ingenious technique to use when you feel pressured due to lack of time. Jean Houston, co-founder of the Foundation for Mind Research, advocates using this approach. Here’s how to “bend” time: Next time you have a deadline and are feeling stressed, imagine the amount of time you have as being like a tape measure. Simply imagine you are stretching the tape measure until it is long enough for you to have plenty of time to do your project with ease and inner calm. You will be surprised at how effective this simple technique is, and guess what? It takes no time at all!

Simplify Your Life

The less you have, the less time you have to spend on managing all that stuff. The accumulation of material wealth may seem positive but it really adds to your stress and workload. Gain inner peace by living with less.

Final Thoughts

Finding inner peace as you go through your busy day is easier than you think. The biggest game changer to bring you to a place of ease, contentment and calm, is to practice gratitude. Breathing deeply and slowly calms an overstressed nervous system.

If you have a deadline, try the time stretching exercise and you will find that you have plenty of time to calmly and peacefully complete your project on time. Lastly, learning to live with less frees you up to cultivate inner calm.