10 Simple Ways To Make Your Life More Peaceful

According to Collins Dictionary, to be peaceful is to be free from disturbance or disorder. Raise your hands if disturbance or disorder exists in your life right now. Ok, first of all, it’s not weird raising your hand while sitting by your computer with no one else around (right?), and second of all, here’s to you! The mere fact that you reacted that way means that this resonates with you on some level. Whether you are aware of it or not, you want change; you want peace. Well, today is your lucky day, my friend, because I am going to let you in on my secret, simple ways to make your life more peaceful.

Am I an expert on the topic at hand? Not a chance, but I’d like to believe that the experiences in my life have shaped me and taught me some valuable lessons. I am at peace, but it wasn’t always that way. Sometimes the chaos in my life was there because of circumstances beyond my control. At other times, I was doing it to myself; I was disturbing my own peace. And even though I would love to kick myself for doing that, I’m grateful for the experience. After some deep introspection, I’ve learned a thing or two from my mistakes.

In the end, when all is said and done, isn’t that what life is all about? We may not get it right the first time, or even the second, but at some point, it hits you like a ton of bricks, and voila, you know, you just know.

Why strive for peace anyway?

Frankly, who the heck wants to live in chaos every single day? Not me! A lack of peace within yourself and your home can cause stress. And similarly, stress can cause a lack of peace. While it may be difficult to eliminate certain things that cause stress, like finances and work, it is possible to attain peace by changing things within ourselves.

“Outward change comes after we change from within.” – Author: Bob Proctor

Speaking from experience, I promise you, everything will change. The sun will seem brighter, your smile will be wider, and your mood will be lighter. Life will seem more doable, and your desire to live it to the fullest will increase exponentially. Will this happen overnight? Most likely not, unless you’ve got a fairy godmother stashed away somewhere! Is it easy to accomplish? No, but recognizing that you want more for yourself and ultimately for your loved ones is the first crucial step in making it happen.

Ways to make your life more peaceful

1. Start your day with prayer or meditation, or both

Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, start there. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate affair, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Whether you do it while kneeling at your bedside or lying in bed, attempt it if you feel compelled to do so.

If you feel like you’re not quite ready or able to say a prayer, practice some form of meditation. According to Wikipedia, meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm, stable state.

Certain things that are most important to you will be brought into focus, and they will receive the attention they need. You will be able to formulate a plan of action for the day and prioritize as necessary. This practice will also give you a sense of calm that you can carry throughout the day.

2. Make peace with yourself

If you’re like me, there are many things in your life that you wish had turned out differently. Maybe you could have made better choices and done things differently, or maybe things beyond your control altered your path in life. However it happened, it is in the past. Let that baggage go. Forgive yourself for your past blunders and try to find the positive things that arose from those unwanted circumstances.

Pat yourself on the back instead of beating yourself down every chance you get. After all, you’ve made it this far. Life isn’t easy, but here you are, alive and able to make a change if you want to. You see, you are in control now. Don’t continue to give the mistakes or circumstances of the past any power over you.

3. Remove toxic influences from your life

Unfortunately, not everyone in your life has your best interest at heart. Some people in your life are only there to tear you down and make you feel inadequate. Distance yourself from these toxic people. Be mindful that people like this can be friends, but they can also be family members. As difficult as letting these relationships go may be, you will find that things get easier with these people out of your life. You won’t have to make excuses for them anymore. The unwanted negativity, criticism, and judgment will no longer be present in your life. However, instead of reciprocating their ill intentions, wish them well and keep them in your prayers as you say goodbye.

4. Practice introspection regularly

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, introspection means the examination of and attention to your own ideas, thoughts, and feelings. In other words, it means taking a long, hard look at yourself. Are you presenting your best self to the world? Is there room for improvement? How can you improve? These are difficult questions to ask yourself, but they are necessary ones.

Analyze your relationship with yourself as well as with other people. How can you be a better friend, how can you be a better person, and how can you be a better member of society? Where are you falling short?

I am incredibly grateful that I am an introvert. We are good at this sort of thing. Introverts are thinkers, and we spend much of our needed alone time doing self-reflection and self-evaluation.

See related post:

Practical Struggles Of The Introvert Mom In Today’s World

The work doesn’t end with introspection, however. Now that you’ve figured out your shortcomings, it is time to work on them one by one. Making positive changes will affect how you see yourself and how others see you, and it will allow for more harmonious relationships and bring that calm and peace you desire.

Regular introspection is necessary. It is not a one-and-done type of thing. As time passes, things change, and we change. We are ever-evolving creatures, and we must always strive to be better versions of ourselves.

5. Accept that you cannot change others

For a long time, I struggled tremendously with this. Someone in my life was making poor choices that affected me personally. I tried to change that person, and I failed repeatedly. It brought me much despair, and my faith wavered. It was only when I accepted that I couldn’t change them that I found peace within myself.

As moms, it is an extraordinary gift to be able to mold our children into what we want them to be. So to some extent, we can change children. With adults, it is quite different. Adults are responsible for themselves and who they are; you are not. It is an unnecessary burden to take on, and it is futile in some cases to do so.

You can offer advice and share resources that this adult may need to tackle their demons. Do not be confrontational, and do not think you are responsible for this individual’s choices. They, and only they, are responsible for their choices, and they are the only ones who can bring about change in themselves.

6. Eliminate activities that add no value to your life

We live in a busy world, and yes, there are things we do that need to be done. But not everything we do is necessary.

Here are some examples of things that we can cut out of the daily routine:

• unnecessary shopping trips: make a list and do necessary shopping once a week or once every two weeks
• mindless scrolling through social media: for some of us, social media is an essential part of our business, but it is crucial to have a plan of action to maximize benefit while decreasing time spent on social media. Have a prioritized, doable list of activities to be done each day, stick to the list and be sure to check off items as you go. It is easy for those of us who do not use social media platforms for business to get swept up in a mindless scroll that can last for hours on end. Avoid this at all costs, as you could be using your time more wisely to do things that need to get done. Time is saved, and as a result, you will be less stressed.
• doing something for the sake of being a people-pleaser: it is okay to say no sometimes. You don’t have to make everyone happy, especially if it disrupts your sense of peace.
• haphazardly checking your email multiple times a day: set aside a chunk of time in your day in which you can check emails and respond accordingly. If you receive many emails, you can allot time for checking and responding twice per day.

When we eliminate or manage unnecessary activities in our lives, we make more time to do the things that really matter. We won’t be stressed out by not having enough time, and we won’t be doing things that don’t add any value to our lives. Less stress means more peace.

7. Allow for some quiet time every day

As an introvert, quiet time and alone time go hand in hand and is a necessity to recuperate from the day’s activities. Have your quiet time at the end of the day. It doesn’t have to last for hours on end, but it has to be enough time to allow for unwinding and regeneration. I prefer to spend my quiet time alone on some days, and on other days I like to spend it watching tv with my husband.

See related post:

20 Insanely Awesome, Insightful Quotes For The Introverted Mom

8. Learn the art of meaningful communication

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines communication as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.

There are different types of communication: verbal, non-verbal, written, and visual. For this blog post, I will be talking specifically about verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication encompasses the spoken word, while non-verbal communication encompasses things like body language, tone of voice, how we act, and how we dress.

As individuals, we verbally communicate all day with people we interact with or meet. To communicate meaningfully with someone means speaking clearly to that person, but it also means being a good listener. Provide clarity on the things you are discussing, and leave ambiguity behind. Be open to different points of view and ideas different from your own. Effective communication means that each party understands precisely how the other party feels about the topic at hand.

Non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal communication and usually adds value to it. They typically are well aligned with each other. For example, if you are saying to someone that you care about what they have to say and are open to their ideas, standing with your arms crossed and looking away gives a totally different message to the intended one.

To put it simply, when you practice meaningful communication, you leave no room for uncertainty. There is less chance of friction and discord when others know how you feel. You may completely disagree on the topic, but arriving at an amicable solution to things is more likely, leading to less stress and a more peaceful outcome.

And in everyday encounters where not much interaction occurs, a smile does wonders for everyone involved. You feel better for it, and you never know exactly what impact your smile will have on someone else; just know it can only be a positive thing. So keep smiling!

“A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.” – William Hazlitt

9. Be able to compromise

In addition to good communication, the ability to compromise is of paramount importance in achieving peaceful resolutions to an argument. While my wish for you is that you never have to encounter arguments ever again, the fact of life is that they will come up. To compromise means that you will be standing down to a certain extent or giving up certain things to arrive at a solution.

While I understand that this may not be everyone’s inherent nature, learning to be a more compromising individual couldn’t hurt. Instead of just one party coming out on top in an argument, everyone involved gets what they want to some degree and is pleased with the outcome. There will be less time spent arguing and more time spent doing things that bring peace and happiness to our lives. If anyone is left unhappy with the outcome of an argument or discussion, they will keep bringing it up, thereby prolonging the whole affair.

Final point

10. Have a positive attitude

Positivity can be elusive when you are going through something difficult. I’ll be the first to admit this. It took every inch of my being to change how I looked at situations. It was challenging to do during trying circumstances in my life. I much rathered complaining, whining, and being angry at God. But with that attitude, I just felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper into an endless, dark pit.

I took it upon myself to read testimonies of people who had faced significant challenges in their lives and had come out of them grateful for life and joyous about things. The common thread in all of the amazing stories that I read was that these people had made a conscious effort to look at the big picture and seek out the positives in their respective situations. I set out to do just that for the rest of my life. It was worth a shot. So far, so good.

If you look hard enough, you will find something to be grateful for or positive about in every situation. It’s all about the big picture and being willing to take a long, hard look at things to find the good.

So my advice to you is to be positive, be grateful. Be willing to do the work to bring about change in yourself. You won’t regret it.

In Conclusion

You have the power to create peace in your life. The ball is in your court. Yes, unexpected circumstances may sometimes get in your way and threaten to disrupt your equilibrium, but your attitude and approach to these events have a tremendous effect. Don’t discount the magnitude of power you have over your own happiness and sense of peace.

I hope that my ideas have resonated with you.

I would love to hear your thoughts and insights on peacefulness and how you aim to achieve it in your own lives.

Thank you so much for reading.

You are loved and appreciated.

Much Love And Peace.