Peace Begins Within
So many of us spend precious time attempting to change the world around us so that we don’t have to. Much easier to hold others responsible for our discomfort, difficulties, and suffering. However, in both ancient philosophical and modern mental health teachings it is the responsibility of those desiring a peaceful life to remember it is in our control, and no situation can remove it unless we give it permission. No one can give us peace. Just as we need selective food to nourish our body, peace of mind needs to be nourished through selective thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and emotions. There are seven simple practices that can support peaceful abiding, especially in times of great upheavals and stress.
Practice
There are seven simple practices that can support peaceful abiding, especially in times of great upheavals and stress:
Admit: suffering is created resisting reality
Acknowledge: we have no control over other people’s thought, choices, behaviors
Accept: no one else can eliminate our triggers; that’s our work
Trust: everything unfolds exactly when and how it should for our benefit, even if benefits are not immediately recognized
Choice: there is always more than one choice however, we must seek them out
Listen: the best voice of guidance comes from intuition - hear it, trust it
Attentiveness: pay attention to moments when peace of mind is fading and quickly re-establish it
“Living in peace requires accepting the reality that life is full of hard challenges, and it is our resistance to learning from those challenges that smothers peace. ”