Feeling calm, worry-free, and joyful is the ultimate “state” for our comfort and enjoyment of life. By getting and staying in this state you will act more rationally, be productive, feel excited, be inspired to do more, be healthier, and have a better immune system. There are many things that a peaceful heart and finding harmony in your life will accomplish and here are 5 ways to start today:
1. Be appreciative and grateful for the beauty you see, and take the time to acknowledge what you already have. Give gratitude for your home, your cup of coffee, your family, your job, a beautiful butterfly, and anything that comes up for you at the moment. Sit with this feeling about how fortunate you are. Do this as many times a day as you can.
2. Take a walk, do some yoga, or do some kind of exercise to give you a feeling of calm. Exercise can also help to lower your cholesterol, blood pressure, improve memory, increase self-esteem, give you a “growth mindset” and so much more. This all contributes to your peace of mind and harmony in life.
3. Meditate or sit quietly and visualize where you are going in life or what makes you happy. What could you do today to move you forward or make you feel good? Could you help someone in need, give to charity, contact a friend, do community work, or take inspired action towards your ultimate goal or dream? Let the feeling or thought come to you in your mind as you move into a clearer space where you are totally non-judgmental.
4. Be kind and compassionate to yourself and honor yourself to accept who you are and all the mistakes that you have ever made. It is all a learning process and we have to go through trial and error to achieve and understand who we really are and glean from those experiences. Treat and talk to yourself like you would a friend. Do something that makes you happy, you deserve it!
5. Be present and only think about what you have to do now. Be totally in the moment and appreciate all steps towards a task, goal, or fun activity. Be happy that you can do it now, and treat it like it’s the only thing you have to do. When you really take the time to appreciate it, you will be so much more focused on it. You’ll be able to clear your mind to allow completion and free up time for other tasks/activities later. Whether it’s something for work, family, friends, or yourself (like exercising, reading, shopping, seeing a friend, etc.) be in the moment and celebrate that you’re doing it now!
I know it’s not always the easiest thing to do and by working on being more present and focused every day it will come more naturally. You’ll feel less resistance to any doubt or fear and in the flow where everything seems to come with ease calm, and joy.
