Finding Peace

Peace. Sometimes you may feel as though that state of being is reserved solely for monks in monasteries who have no other responsibilities other than sitting blissfully in their pristine, quiet meditative state. For you, who may have countless stressors from work, partnership, parenting, health, family and financial concerns, how can that desire for a peaceful mind actually be attainable?

You hear that you need to meditate, yet your attempts to still your mind feel as fruitful as trying to keep a dozen curious kittens in one spot. You catch one thought from carrying you away but as soon as you do, another one takes off running with your attention, and again, and again, and again.

You hear to have peace you must accept all that is and release all judgment towards it. Yet when you look around at everything that is going on in your life, your mind so quickly gets swept up by the stories of all that is wrong, and strong emotions of despair, confusion, anger or worry take over. The idea of simply accepting all of this and having zero resistance towards it just makes you shake your head and say-ya, good luck with that!

And so you do what you know, keep busy, tend to everything and everyone else aside from that feeling of unrest within you. When the night comes, you distract yourself with whatever happens to come across your screen, or maybe a number of drinks or joints to try and numb that mental, emotional, physical unrest just enough for you to pass out.

I am so sorry for this pain you are carrying and how trapped you feel. Another day, I will write about how meditation can be done in a way that makes sense to you, and how accepting life’s trials and releasing the chains of blame and shame is actually possible.

For today though, I’d like to offer something you can do to begin to experience the peace you’re looking for.

Find your way to a spot in nature. If you can only get to your front porch with a few pots of plants around you, that works. If you can get to a park, the woods or the beach, even better. Tell yourself for the next little while, all you are going to do is observe your senses and whenever a thought comes to your mind, take a few deep breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth, and return your focus to your senses.

Feel the gentle breeze touching your skin, reach out and touch the leaves of the plants around you, take off your shoes and feel the soft grass under your feet, smell the flowers or aromas of freshly cooked food, slowly take in all that is around you with your eyes noticing how the vibrant light and colors of nature make you feel, with your ears follow the song of the birds and the rustle of the leaves in the trees, or the sound of the waves or a water fountain nearby.

Let nature and your senses give you that experience of peace and when you choose to bring your attention back to your thoughts, your ability to look at your situation will have shifted to a place of more clarity.

I'd love to engage with you in your questions or comments below-perhaps ways that you bring peace into your day or struggles you have with doing so.

Kindly,

Charity