5 WAYS TO FIND INNER PEACE

I’m at a very happy place in my life right now, but it took me a while to find inner peace. I think growing up in NYC has contributed to my tough exterior and I have been frustrated easily with the hustle and bustle of the chaotic environment. However as I am growing older, I have found ways to find happiness and I wanted to share my experience and tips with you. Some of them might sound obvious or cliche, but I do believe they are helpful and I think everybody can improve on their happiness and quality of life.

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1. Change your mindset: There are some things in life that we simply don’t have control of such as traffic, weather, other people’s actions and thoughts, etc. We can easily become annoyed at external forces, but the way to handle obstacles is by simply changing your mindset. Instead of getting mad that the train is late or upset that the rain has ruined your weekend plans, you can train yourself to think differently about those issues. I recommend making the best of the situation even when you don’t think there’s a positive side. Most of the times the problem isn’t as big as we think so I would say accept the issue, acknowledge it and move on. I can’t begin to stress the importance of mindset because it has truly changed my outlook on so many of my life problems and I’m sure it can for you as well!
2. Meditate/ Exercise: There’s a reason why so many people meditate and exercise. You don’t need to go into a quiet room, pull out a yoga mat and sit in pretzel position to meditate if you don’t want to. Just find a few minutes out of your day (preferably in the morning) and truly focus on yourself. Try to rid all distractions and just think positive thoughts. If meditation is not right for you, I would recommend exercising. It doesn’t have to be intense circuit training or weight lifting. Cardio or a light walk will suffice, but it’s great to get your body moving because you will experience endorphin, which is equivalent to happiness. And I always say that you will never regret exercising because there are so many physical and mental benefits.
3. Read a book: Reading a book puts your mind at ease because you are taken into another world. It can be fiction, fantasy or even non fiction. I think everybody should make it a priority to stimulate their minds and reading a book will definitely put you in a relaxed mood. I will write another blog post about 5 books I recommend that have changed my life because they have helped me to find inner peace so stay tuned for that.
4. Travel: I can’t begin to emphasize how much travel has changed my life for the better. I know a lot of people say they can’t afford to travel or don’t have the time, but you don’t need to make a big international trip to find inner peace. You can simply go away for the weekend and preferably to a more serene place. I think getting in touch with nature and your surroundings will make you appreciate life more and as a result will have an effect on soul searching.
5. Remove stress and negative energy: This might be a given, but I think it’s extremely important to cut out all the negative energy in your life. Nobody likes to deal with stress, so the key to removing it is by making sure you surround yourself with positive people. Remember that quality is better than quantity and it’s okay to have a few true friends, rather than a large circle of people that don’t add any value to your life. I highly recommend you take a few minutes and analyze your life and ask yourself if there’s anything you can cut out that will make you happier. I’ve learned to remove all the negative things in my life and I feel like a huge weight has been removed, which has allowed me to find inner peace.

I hope these tips were helpful! Let me know if you can relate and if you have any other tips on how to find inner peace.