Your Natural State of Mind
Whether we know it consciously or not, one of our deepest
longings as human beings is to have inner peace. What do I mean
by that? Inner peace is a state of feeling well and at ease, no
matter what our circumstances. Actually, inner peace is our
default state of mind: it requires no special circumstance. We
may think we want certain events to happen in our lives, but
what we really want is the feelings we think those things would
bring us - feelings of fulfillment and inner peace.
The truth is that we can have peace within, even if our lives
appear to be in a state of turbulence. We may not always feel
joyful in the midst of something difficult, but we can cultivate
a habit of inner peace. Yes, inner peace is a habit, not just
something that happens to you if you're "lucky." It is actually
the result of a series of choices that form habits that we
cultivate on purpose.
Some of the habits that allow inner peace to grow in you are
simply the basic tenets of self-care when you live in a human
body. We learn through trial and error that we need a certain
amount of sleep each night. We get enough to eat, but we don't
intoxicate ourselves with food or drink. We spend a little time
alone each day, and a little time reaching out to others. We
find a form of exercise that feels like play, so we don't mind
doing it every day. All of these habits cooperate with our
physical body to lay the groundwork for the peaceful state of
mind that is, deep within, our natural state of being.
There are also mental habits that allow us to enjoy inner peace.
The most important of these is to pay attention to how you talk
to yourself. Do you go around "awfulizing" over everything that
happens? Or do you make the opposite mistake of "minimizing"
challenges? When something is hard, don't tell yourself it's
terrible, unless you want it to be terrible. And don't tell
yourself it's nothing, because you don't get inner peace by
avoiding your truth. Just tell yourself, "This is hard, but I
have the power within me to deal with it, and besides, it will
pass."
Another good mental habit is to teach yourself calming slogans.
Relax. One thing at a time. One day at a time. I don't have to
prove I'm innocent or right. Maybe I can't, but God can. These
and other slogans may sound corny to you, at first. But when you
get in a tight spot, it helps to have something short and sweet
that's easy to remember.
Habits like these serve two functions. They keep you from
creating waves at the surface of your life, and they help you
navigate the waves that others create, so you can still get
where you want to go. With daily practice of these physical and
mental habits, you cultivate the inner peace that is your
birthright as a spiritual being in a human body.