7 Tips for a Peaceful Life

Life isn’t easy. We’ve all faced multiple challenges and felt plenty of disappointment. Thank goodness some days run smoothly. I hope more have for you than not.

The key to a peaceful life isn’t a perfect little construction of constant good luck and cheer. It’s a plan for being conscious and intentional in your day-to-day living. It’s having some preparedness and also having several tools to help you thrive during difficult times.

I know the emotional roller coaster well. I’m here to pull you out of the seat and help you become more aware of what’s rattling your nerves so that you can feel more positive and in control, get back to peace, and live a happier, healthier life.

Here are 7 elements you need to safeguard your peaceful life.

Clear Vision

Not knowing what you want for and in your life keeps you scattered and haphazard. Not ingredients for a peaceful life.

What are your values and goals for your life? What do you want in your life? Who do you want in your life? Where do you want to live your life?

On the other hand, what is clouding your vision? What is continuously creating obstacles for you? Who is distracting you? What in your environment needs to go?

If you don’t get clear about these things, you’ll stumble around in life and go along with things that are not right for you and will wreck your peace. You’ll feel stressed when you have to make decisions and unhappy when you find yourself questioning everything around you.

I’ve been there—running forward aimlessly. I’ve gotten knocked down too easily because I didn’t have a grasp on my purpose….wrapped up too easily in someone else’s life because I didn’t have my own plans clear in my mind….stripped of my peace because I wasn’t honoring myself.

Don’t let any of those things happen to you. Click here to create your personal vision statement.

Healthy Boundaries

Set yourself up for a peaceful life by honoring your values and goals and the needs you have in order to attain those. To do this, you need to determine and communicate clear boundaries.

What and who are you tolerating right now but realize will hold you back in the long-run? Start to become more assertive about these things and with these people.

Start becoming more connected with and showing more appreciation towards the people in your life who light you up so that they’ll see their value in your life circle….and join with you more often.

We need positive connections and influences.

It doesn’t mean that we leave everyone else behind—but some maybe. It just means that we protect our peace and preserve our hearts by holding limits. We stay compassionate and loving and even try to lift others up around us who are struggling.

But we avoid toxicity. We refrain from spending too much time with toxic people and too much time engaged in toxic activities.

That’s right, I’m also talking about maintaining boundaries within ourselves. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that a night of too much alcohol can really wreck my peace. I can’t function peaceably without good sleep and when I don’t eat well.

Check your habits and lifestyle choices. What helps you feel peaceful? How can you prioritize your peace-giving essentials: sleep, nutrition, spiritual practices, family time, etc.? What do you need to cut back on in order to preserve your peace?

Click here if you need help setting and maitaining boundaries.

Saying “No”

If you’ve done some work to determine your values and goals, the only way you’ll be able to prioritize those is if you learn to say “no”.

It’s ok. Let go of the guilt. I’m sure you please people in many ways. You don’t have to do everything.

Time doesn’t come back to you. Your energy is valuable!

If you’re good with finances, transfer that money savviness to time savviness. Make conscious choices by considering how much something will add to or delete from the peaceful life you desire.

Other people want peace, too. They don’t want to burden you, so don’t burden yourself with automatic yes’s.

You know that tense feeling you get, right in your core, when someone asks something of you and you don’t feel good about it? Pay attention to that. Say you’ll think about it; and take time for that. See if you can say “yes” with peace in your heart, or say “no” with love.

This also goes for saying “no” to things that you know are not healthy for you. Make more time for the things that align with your goals and bring you, or preserve, your peace.

Paring Down

What do you have too much of that’s stressing you out? Is there a place in your home that you avoid because it’s piled up and overwhelming? Do you have a difficult time choosing an outfit every single morning? Is it a chore to find the spices you need for a recipe because of all the little bottles of who-knows-what crowding the cabinet?

Is your calendar so full you can’t fit in the painting class you’ve been longing to try? Are you attempting too many business ventures at once without making real progress in any of them? Is it discouraging you to neglect your home care (what I like to call housekeeping) because you’re stretched sooo thin all week?

Moving onto a sailboat was a great exercise in paring down for my whole family. It was difficult at first. We started with selling our house and having a few garage sales, gradually letting go of more and more stuff. It was so liberating! After almost nine years we’ve gotten good at assessing the true value of things we bring into our little 40 ft. home.

We also take time to evaluate the commitments we make. Logistics aren’t easy when you live bobbing in the middle of a bay. It’s not only about the time and energy something requires. Is it worth the fuel cost to run our dingy motor and the taxi or bike rental cost to get around town? We don’t let ourselves get spread too thin. My son has learned the hard way that 3 nights of sleepovers in a row stresses his immune system.

What needs paring down for you so that you can maintain your peace? Your closet or another space in your home? Your calendar or daily to-do list? How about your many commitments? Things negatively affecting your health? Your business practices or work duties? (Maybe you need some streamlining if you can’t pare down at work.)

Disconnecting from Tech

I’ve used technology to “wind down”. The truth is it does no such thing. Technology is definitely something that winds us up.

I know, I know….someone will say how they use a safe, blue-light free reader at night or listen to sleep frequency YouTube videos. Maybe sometimes it can be relaxing to watch a fun movie.

And, hey….I chose technology as a way to reach you with this blog post. I also work with clients all over the world using technology. I’m so thankful for technological advancements.

But, we’re talking about safeguarding peace. Do you find peace in your technology use? Are you conscious of when it’s too much and when it’s wreaking havoc on your mind, body or spirit? Do you notice when your nervous system becomes sensitive to things you’re spending time doing online?

We all need a break from it. That’s all I’m saying.

I have an aunt who I love to follow on Facebook. Every post she sends out shares something positive, celebratory, connecting. I have my own Facebook profile and business page, on which I only want to share similar posts. And, man I love watching surf, dance and music videos on there, too.

But even all that positivity on technology can disrupt peace when “time slipped away from me” and I stayed up too late or neglected something necessary.

I haven’t touched on the negative aspects….the comparison traps my clients tell me they fall into….the prevailing and conflicting health advice my clients ask me about….the algorithms that lock people into distressing stories….the distractions keeping us from facing reality. Overuse of technology can drastically diminish our peace.

I definitely don’t want to poo-poo on technology. I love technology….and Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Block Blast. My own website is one of my happy places. I hope you’ll check it out and love it, too.

Let’s just all agree to take breaks from technology. Let’s be mindful of how our attitudes and nervous systems are affected by different forms of technology at different times of the day, and let’s just resign from it now and then so that we can reconnect with ourselves and find peace within again.

Outdoor Therapy

Lots of times, when I’m feeling down, stressed or even angry, stepping outside immediately helps me regroup. I am initially engulfed by the fresh air and sunlight, and then I find solace in the view and the expansiveness of the universe around me.

Stepping outside, whether you send an invitation or not, draws in so many natural elements that can cleanse and rejuvenate you instantaneously.

You don’t have to immerse yourself in the wilderness or wander in a forest or stroll a beach. Some people are less outdoorsy than others, and that’s ok. I have a friend who also lives on a sailboat who hates the water. Although I’d like to help her explore that aversion and reclaim a relationship with the sea….she finds peace just sitting out on her deck for a little while each day.

Just get outside for a little while and get some fresh air every day. Take a deep breath and draw in the peace that is ever abundant in nature. Take one, three or ten deep breaths….whatever you can make time for. And see if you return to your task or situation a little more relaxed….a little more at peace.

I have a morning routine including a short mindset and mobility practice that I do outside. It only takes about 10-15 minutes, and it calibrates my nervous system and helps me start the day with peace in mind. If you’d like to know my morning routine, get in touch with me by email here. I’m not sure I’m ready to present it in a blog post….but maybe later.

If you’re up for more of an outdoor adventure, look into hiking groups in your town. A couple of my clients have found local hiking groups on Meetup.com and you could look at alltrails.com. If you live where there’s snow, look into cross-country ski groups. If you live near big lakes or the ocean, look into sailing or surfing lessons.

Grounding Exercises

Meditation, mindfulness, prayer, presence….these are all powerful tools for feeling more grounded in the chaos and cultivating peace in your life. Each of these calls for slowing down, taking deep breaths and grounding yourself into the state of being you desire.

For this tip, I’m going to direct you to one of my favorite and most popular blog posts: “Laid-back Mindfulness and Meditation”.

These grounding practices will help you reduce stress and feel peaceful in a deep way….and for a long time if you incorporate some of the practices regularly. You can learn to tap into your intuition and gain confidence in your own insight so that you can find peace in the natural flow of life, even though you can’t control all of it.

Conclusion:

I love knowing that no matter what is happening around me, I have the power to go within and find peace and calm inside of myself. Things don’t always have to go my way for me to relax.

We can guard our hearts and protect our peace under any circumstances. There’s a place for fear, anger, sadness, or any other emotion that could arise – they are all purposeful – AND it’s possible to get back to peace.

That is my hope for you – that you can follow this guide that I’ve written for you and set yourself up to sustain your peace even when the world brings disappointments, aggravations, etc. Because it will. No doubt.

But you can equip yourself and ensure your success by implementing some or all of these tips. If you need more help, please reach out to me in an email here.

Further Reading: “How to Find Inner Peace”