People will do anything to find peace and happiness again when they suffer. Letting go of the pain doesn’t just mean forgetting about it and pretending that it doesn’t exist, even though that’s what most people believe. People strive to be happy but don’t know how to reach that level. That’s because they try to find energetic and active ways to stop suffering and replace it with happiness.
But being happy doesn’t mean that you’re always on the move or constantly doing exciting things. Instead, happiness often comes from finding inner peace. Being at ease and feeling content can be precisely what you need to turn your life around and start being more comfortable in your own skin. The thing is, people don’t understand what inner peace is and how to reach it.
When people think about inner peace, they imagine someone sitting at the top of a mountain and meditating. And sure, this can be one way to achieve inner peace. But it’s not the only one. Not to mention that inner peace isn’t just some buzzword. It had a lot of psychological benefits, and no, these benefits aren’t just a placebo effect.
These benefits stem from a calm mind and finding ways to be more in tune with your thoughts and desires. Finding ways to achieve inner peace won’t just help you be happier, but it will also give you a routine and something to anchor you when things are tough. So, if this seems like something you might be interested in, keep reading for tips on achieving inner peace.
What Is Inner Peace?
Inner peace is a concept that has been used for thousands of years. But the people who practiced this state of mind used to be the most spiritual members of society. Historically, priests, monks, and other people of faith praised inner peace, while common people didn’t care much for such things. Even in the modern era, people in the West don’t care for such spiritual concepts.
But there’s still a decent amount of passion surrounding the topic in Eastern states. This is because Eastern society has always been more in tune with the spiritual aspects of life. That’s why they still care about meditation and being one with nature and the world. It’s clear by now that inner peace is tied to the spiritual aspects of life. This is also clear when you look at most definitions of the term.
The most popular way to define inner peace is as being mentally and spiritually at peace. It’s a state of calmness, even though there might be many stressors surrounding you. But this is not just a way of being that someone can just stumble upon. Achieving inner peace takes work, and you need to be motivated to keep working towards achieving a deliberate state of peace and happiness.
Achieving Inner Peace (and End Suffering)
When someone achieves inner peace, they reach a state in which they don’t overthink every little thing around them. Ideally, there would be no more anxiousness or stress. Even though there would still be stressors in your life, achieving inner peace is learning to deal with them without letting them affect your life.
As opposed to most other tricks to get over the rough patches in your life, finding inner peace ensures that you won’t allow outside factors to tear you down anymore. You might have heard that peace is just the absence of violence. If that’s what you learned, it might not make sense how inner peace can help. After all, there’s no violence happening in your own body.
But this is not about physical violence. Peace is the absence of violence, but it can be so much more than that. This definition of peace is a Western one. And, as we’ve established, the West isn’t the best representative of spirituality. So, in this case, peace refers to calmness, contentment, and happiness. And inner peace is just an instrument through which you can reach this state of mind.
Lastly, inner peace is about being mentally strong and not allowing suffering to control your life. When faced with hardships, most people just want to give up and wallow in pain. And that’s normal. But it doesn’t help you become a better person or overcome the bad things in your life. So, inner peace is about resilience and finding the motivation to do better even when it feels useless to do so.
Just because someone can achieve inner peace doesn’t mean their life will be filled with sunshine and rainbows. There will still be things that will taint how beautiful life can be. You will still have to deal with a lot of issues, suffering, and problems. But that inner peace will help you overcome those issues and get out of bad situations without any scars. Overall, achieving inner peace is the best way to ensure you’ll have a happier and healthier life.
How to Achieve Inner Peace?
1. Become One with Nature
Inner peace usually comes from connecting with yourself and understanding what’s happening inside your brain. And one of the best ways to have time for introspection is to become one with nature. Not only will being in nature give you time to reflect and think, but it also has dozens of other benefits. For example, even something as simple as taking a walk has been proven to boost one’s levels of happiness and well-being.
But this benefit can be achieved even without a strong commitment to being in nature. So, if you don’t have time to spend your days outside, at least make it your mission to do some things in nature, no matter how small they are. A long-term commitment to nature can give you even more benefits. But it’s harder to achieve that true, deep connection with nature.
However, when you commit to that, your suffering will get much better. Just know that you must be present without distractions to connect with the outside world. Don’t take your phone or any electronic devices with you whenever you go outside. Just enjoy nature without any interference from your daily life and stressors. And take the time to reflect and listen to your body and mind.
2. Meditate
Meditation is one habit you should incorporate, regardless of whether you want to achieve inner peace. This technique helps you have a better and happier life in general. It’s been shown to help people manage their anxiety and stress. And it’s also just a nice thing to have as part of your routine. But it’s also one of the most effective ways to achieve inner peace.
You can meditate in many ways and choose a technique based on what suits you best and what you like most. For example, mindfulness is one of the most popular types of meditation. But that doesn’t mean this is the only type you should try.
There are also transcendental meditation, mantra meditation, and many more types. But they all have one thing in common. Meditation is about focusing your attention and looking inwards to understand yourself better. It’s also a way to relax and just take some time to be alone with your thoughts.
If you have never meditated before, you can start with a simple technique that you can do whenever you feel the need. The simplest way to meditate is to get comfortable, close your eyes and tune out all outside distractions. It’s best if you can find a quiet place in which to meditate. Then, you need to get in tune with your thoughts and feelings. This will help you understand yourself and your needs. Plus, it will make you calmer and help you be more at peace with yourself.
3. Be Grateful
One of the best ways to overcome your suffering is to remember to be grateful for everything you have. People often make the mistake of taking everything for granted. Because of that, they forget how lucky they are and how many good things they have in their lives. No matter how small something is, it can still bring you joy and help you be more content.
So, even if someone just held the door for you, you still need to be grateful for that nice gesture. That doesn’t mean you should pretend everything is fine in your life. Instead, you should acknowledge when things aren’t going your way. But finding inner peace is all about managing your attitude and how you approach things. Having a positive mindset and striving to turn things around is much better.
It has been shown that gratitude helps people be aware of life changes, but it helps them not get too hung up on what they can’t control. Grateful people will look at the bright side and focus on the emotional aspects of life rather than the material ones. Sure, they will be gutted if they lose their jobs. But they’ll take that time to figure out the best way forward instead of stressing over the things they can’t control. Because of that, they can be calmer and more at peace.
Final Thoughts on How to Stop Suffering by Finding Inner Peace
One of the main things people want is to stop suffering and find ways to be happier in their skin. But many people go about this the wrong way. They think that happiness comes from material possessions or adrenaline-inducing activities.
And sure, it’s fun to go cliff jumping or to get a new watch. But that’s not a guarantee that your life will be free of pain. To make sure you can cope with pain, you must create better coping mechanisms. And one of the best things you can do is achieve inner peace. It will make you calmer, happier, and more content with your life. And it will give you the tools to get over the things going wrong in your life.
There are a few things you can do to achieve inner peace. And one of the healthiest things you can do is to become one with nature. Even taking a short walk can do wonders. Meditation and practicing gratitude are great ways to be calmer and find happiness even in the darkest times.
