The pace of modern life is far more hectic than at any previous time in history, and that has left many feeling far less centred than they would like to be. Beyond the common desire to find relief from momentary stress, or to experience more long-term happiness, most people would simply like to know how to enjoy a greater sense of calm and tranquility in their lives, and so in this post I will share three powerful but easy-to-implement ideas that will be of use to those who are wondering how to find peace of mind.
Carve Out Quiet Times
Although the world is full of distractions, it is still perfectly possible to carve out times of quiet for yourself. A preliminary step to finding peace of mind is to deliberately carve out quiet times by setting aside a period each day for precisely that purpose. You may have already established the habit of doing this, especially if you have previously read about the importance of Silence and Solitude, but if not, you should consider making it a priority to do so now.
Carving out quiet times doesn’t simply mean setting aside time for silence in your diary, but also taking whatever steps are necessary to avoid interruptions, such as turning off your mobile phone or at least putting it on silent. There is plenty of quiet to be had even in the 21st century, but you will need to guard it carefully if you want to make the most of it.
Learn to Meditate
Meditation is a central practice in numerous spiritual traditions, and for good reason – it is one of the most effective methods for quieting the mind that has ever been developed. There are many different types of meditation, most of which you can teach yourself when equipped with a reliable guide. The following audio programs are highly recommended, so take a look at all of them to see which one would serve you best:
Mindfulness Meditation: Nine Guided Practices to Awaken Presence and Open Your Heart by Tara Brach
How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind by Pema Chödrön
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program by Sharon Salzberg
Anyone who is equipped with one of the above programs will be able to learn the basics of meditation in a matter of hours. Of course, you will get better at meditating the more you practice, so be sure to make meditation a part of your normal daily routine if you want to reap its full benefits.
Visualise Calm
My third suggestion for finding peace of mind is to create a sanctuary of calm in your imagination, and to spend at least a few minutes there several times a day. A simple way to do this is to get comfortable, close your eyes and imagine that you are sitting in a natural environment which you associate with a sense of peace, calm and tranquillity. This might be somewhere by the ocean, deep in the heart of a familiar forest, in a log cabin by the lake or even at the top of a mountain.
Whatever your chosen location, focus using your imagination to visualise the environment as richly as possible in all sensory modalities. See the scene as clearly and vividly as you can, smell the air, hear the sounds around you, feel the textures and – if appropriate – appreciate any tastes that are present.
As with mediation, the more you practice visualisation, the more proficient you will get at using the technique and the more beneficial it will be for you. Those of you who would like to study creative visualisation in more depth and explore a broader range of possible applications would do well to spend some time with the Creative Visualization Meditations audio program by Shakti Gawain.
‘Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.’ – Wayne Dyer
As you can see, finding peace is largely a matter of retraining the mind. Live in reaction to the world around you and your mind will always be agitated and restless. However, give yourself space and silence, invest some time and effort into developing the skills of meditation and visualisation, and you will soon be able to quieten the mind at will. When that happens, you will discover a vast ocean of inner peace which no outer circumstance will be able to shake.