5 Ways to Find Peace With Yourself

Nobody’s perfect. Not a soul on earth has everything figured out and lives with perfect peace within and without. Some people do have more peace than others. Here are my 5 ways to find peace with yourself.

Find Peace

For people who have been through or have experience with people who have gone through trauma, finding peace may be a bit more difficult. Inner turmoil is ever present. The places in our brains that hold the memories and thoughts of trauma take up real estate and produce both chemicals and electrical signals that keep us on high alert.

The hyper-vigilant state has a cyclical component. Our muscles are tight, which can cause aches and pains. Our stomach may be in knots, which interferes with proper digestion and may even predispose us to eat poorly because we look for comfort foods. We often don’t sleep well and any outside influences can exacerbate worrisome insomnia.

It doesn’t have to be child sexual abuse or trafficking that causes this long-term stress. It could be a death of a loved one, an accident of some kind, sudden divorce, a terrible diagnosis, or other trauma. In some cases, no trauma exists. There may have been just a broodiness that began a cycle of chronic stress.

Here are 5 ways to find peace with yourself.

Number 1.     Remember that there is beauty in imperfection. The blue sky is dotted with white puffy clouds and that contrast is what makes it lovely to look at. The flowers in a garden are at various stages of growth and decay, giving way to a multitude of color and hues.

Number 2.    Appropriate Grace. Grace is the power of God. Grace is the power to forgive mishaps, misunderstandings, and grievances, but it is also much more powerful than that. It is grace that gives us the ability to relate to God and more to the point here, to behave in godly ways. The power of grace helps us be kind when we want to be unkind. Grace helps us in any area of our lives when we simply ask for it.

Number 3.    Appreciate everything. Not everything is good and not everything will make us stronger. Some things that happen are horrible and no good, but we can ask ourselves what does this situation make possible. Even the multiple rapes that I went through make it possible for me to understand trauma and grief, fear and pain, dissociative behaviors and help find ways of finding peace for myself to share those with others.

Number 5.    Love people and use things. People are the pinnacle of God’s creation. They may not behave that way, though. Some people have a way of using people to get what they want, disregarding their feelings and the implications of hurting them. Let us consider the people in our lives as the pinnacle of creation too. They don’t deserve it. Neither do I. Neither do you. Our value lies in the fact that we are human beings.

Number 6.    Engage in purposeful movements. Make decisions based on a broad spectrum of factors. Make sure your long-term hopes and dreams are in sight. Be mindful of what impact the things you do have on others too. Of course, you need physical movements. Work at intentionally adding stretches and relaxation techniques into your day. Instead of parking as close as possible to the door, walk a little extra, take the stairs, reach to the top shelf, reach for the floor. Balance exercises have been really helpful for me. Whatever makes sense to you, do it on purpose.

I’m working on a program for myself that has various movements and affirmations to help me be more peaceful and get stronger from the ravages of illness. Some theorize that trauma sets us up for chronic diseases. So, since I have been rather incapacitated, simply moving has been a battle. But, we just might have a poster of these 5 ways to find peace with yourself.