We often search for love outwardly because this is how we found love and security as children. Love was always rewarded to us whenever we did something right. Yet we didn’t forget this, we continued to seek love to this day in other people, but the truth is, the love we’re all looking for can only come from within.
Since we’re not comfortable with our capabilities, we don’t find someone else’s love to be enough for us. To be truly happy and feel safe, we need to be more confident with who we are and how we love ourselves, and there’s only one way: self-love.
We practice self-love so we can force through our limiting beliefs, live a meaningful life, and unearth inner peace. It’s a big deal because you don’t want to be resentful nor to live each day trying to prove your point.
How to find inner peace?
Inner peace has always been a fascinating topic. Not for nothing, it has been covered worldwide by spiritual leaders, therapists, psychologists, and leaders. The problem is we often romanticise inner peace as the answer to everything but do very little to attain it because in order to achieve this state, we need to do something very scary: to change.
Finding your inner pace sounds serious. It requires you to simplify your life and live in the present moment as much as possible, which is hard for some people. Peace, therefore, is the result of reorienting your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.
We live a busy, hectic, and at times overwhelming life, so it may feel like bringing just a little more calmness and inner peace into it is a hopeless wish. But we also know it doesn’t have to be that way. Smart and small changes can, over time, teach us how to find this inner peace.
Practice daily gratitude
This is vital to your inner peace and happiness. People who regularly practise gratitude by taking time to think about the things they’re grateful for feel more alive, experience more positive emotions, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even develop a stronger immune system.
Obviously, gratitude shouldn’t be reserved for momentous occasions: you might express gratitude after getting a promotion, but you can also be grateful for getting yourself a beauty advent calendar or something as delicious as a lemon cake.
Research points that keeping a gratitude journal – in which you daily recognize moments you are grateful for – can considerably improve your well-being.
Develop routines
If you’re a parent, you know how much your kids thrive on routines. But just like children, adults also thrive on routine. And that’s because we’re creatures of habit.
It works like this: Having a routine in place helps you know what to expect each day. Obviously, things aren’t always going to be the same, but more often than not, you can put your mind at ease by knowing what your day will be like the moment you get out of bed.
Research indicates that there are psychological benefits to establishing and following routines. It’s clear that having an everyday routine, be that in the morning or in the evening, can reduce anxiety and stress because it gives you a sense of control.
Routines can also benefit your mind, especially when they include mindfulness and movement practices. It can be something like daily meditation, stretching, exercise or something as simple as savouring your favourite cup of matcha. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, routines are crucial for your self-love and inner peace.
Practice mantras to cultivate happiness
The word “mantra” from Sanskrit translates to instruments or mind tools. It’s a scary word with a powerful impact on reprogramming our subconscious mind. There’s no trick to this practice – all you have to do is repeat certain words frequently until you attain a state of calmness.
While there are many myths behind mantras chanting, it’s widely agreed that the more you repeat and chant a phrase, the more it becomes a part of you. In simple words, mantra chanting can redefine your inner monologue, which is why priests and psychologists use it for more severe mental conditions such as anxiety.
Anything you do, do it mindfully
Breathe, walk, eat, and smell mindful. Obviously, it’s a wellness buzzword, but not for nothing. Mindfulness makes more sense when broken down into common practices. Check your advent calendar 2022 and plan a few days a week where everything you do is mindful.
Mindfulness means you reconnect yourself with your senses. For example, the next time you have a glass of wine, don’t just drink it all at once. Observe its colour, take a sniff – notice how saliva starts filling your mouth, enjoy this feeling and then take a sip. Is it French? Is it fruity? How does this make you feel? Be aware of sensations in your body and mouth as you drink the wine, as well as the aftertaste.
Accept and let it go
We’ve all experienced emotional and physical pain at some point in our lives. However, we also forgot that it’s completely human to feel discouraged because of the pain. The difference is some of us hold on to those painful experiences and find it difficult to move on with our lives.
When something negative from the past -something someone did, something someone said – still troubles you, then you should learn to accept and let that thought or feeling in instead of trying to block it completely.
When you accept those feelings, they immediately start to lose power. At this point, learning to accept and let go is like you’re trying to dispose of an old bag of clothes. One that hindered you from living in the present moment and finding that inner peace.
