The World Outside Is Chaotic And Stressful – How To Find Peace and Joy Within Yourself
It's difficult to imagine a world more chaotic than the one we live in today. It seems as though it's a never-ending slew of bad news, misinformation, and life just gets harder. Modern living has introduced extra pressure and there is a lot of responsibility that brings insecurity and anxiety. It's difficult to imagine finding peace and joy within yourself when you're swirling around in all that chaos.
You can.
By learning to stay cool, calm, and collected in the most high-pressure, intense moments you will find it easier to identify the silver lining in every situation you find yourself.
No matter the circumstances or the situation, you can stay calm. You're hoeing a tough row right now, but no matter the obstacle you will get there in the end. It's all about learning how to respond efficiently to discover peace.
There are signs when you are approaching breaking point. However, to recognize those signs you have to be prepared to be honest. When you are faced with pressure, stress, negativity, and anxiety, your body sends you signals. It's blaring a warning alarm telling you to slow down and take a break. It might be a painful process, but it's one that is worth it.
If you do not get control of the chaos in your life, you will experience an impacted mental state, poor sleep, a lowered immune function, a decline in your physical health, it will negatively influence friendships, romances, and potentially create a dip in intimacy. Stress and chaos cause us to disconnect from ourselves, physically and mentally, unless we gain control. Let's talk about how!
How to Remain Calm
When you live amid chaos, it's difficult to find the light at the end of the stretching darkness in the tunnel. However, it might not be apparent, but it is absolutely inevitable. There is always a golden sky at the end of a storm. It takes work to reach the light, but it starts by learning how to remain calm. Here are a few steps you can take....
• One Step Back
Negative situations are adept at sucking us in and making us obsess. When it happens, it becomes easy to allow us to encompass our thoughts and feelings. Humans love self-fulfilling prophecies. You have to avoid this situation by taking one step back. When it all falls apart, you have to slow down and give yourself room to breathe. We often want to respond quickly because life seems to come at us so fast. Take your time and put space between you and the tough stuff.
• One Deep Breath
Your breath matters more than you realize. When you're dealing with something difficult and pay attention to your breathing, you will notice it's shallow. It doesn't just keep you alive, breathing can keep you calm and help you find inner peace. You can use deep breathing in the moment, but it's a practice you can start before bed each evening. It all starts with one deep breath. You will feel calmer and lighter when you practice deep breathing and that is the start of finding inner peace and joy. Invest a few bucks in your wellness with the Calm app for an easy way to create a routine of focusing on your breath.
• One Set Routine
A routine is more than organizing your morning, so you arrive to work on time. It provides security and stability as you map out your day. Let routine be your anchor in a sea of chaos.
• One Stress Point
Start by identifying one stress point. We all have unique stressors and identifying them can help you develop the right way to deal with them. For now, it starts with one and from there, you can explore. Life might be chaotic, but that doesn't mean it has to overwhelm your peace and joy. You can find calm despite the mess swirling outside your window.
Has Pandemic Fear Made You Paralyzed? More Healthy and Realistic Coping Tools
In early 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 to be a public health emergency. A couple of months later, this new disease became characterized as a pandemic. Since then, the virus has spread around the world. It has left a physiological and a mental impact in its wake, leaving everyone anxious and afraid. We know how scary this pandemic can be. That’s why we rounded up some of the best healthy and realistic coping tools to have at your disposal. Keep reading to find out more.
Limit Your News Intake
Since news of the pandemic broke out, we’ve all spent a great deal of time following news reports. It’s like we’ve been hypnotized by the public health response as we follow social media’s play-by-play posts. Being informed is one thing. But having too much information can make you paralyzed with fear and dread.The best way to cope is to limit the time you spend listening to the news. It’s also a good idea not to spend a lot of time scrolling through the various social media platforms. In addition, make sure the information you’re getting comes from a reputable source. People love sharing their thoughts and beliefs, but they’re not always reliable or factual even.This endless speculation can increase your sense of anxiety. It can also make you feel vulnerable, which is the opposite of what your local public health officials want from us during this time of crisis.
Practice Mindful Meditation
Meditation comes in so many different forms and techniques. Mindful meditation is one of them that has become more popular lately for several reasons. First off, it’s easy to do. You don't need intense focus. It’s simple. Many people opt for mindfulness because you can do it anywhere, any time and for however long you can. Some people practice it for five minutes each day. Others prefer spending up to 20 or 30 minutes. It depends on your lifestyle and personal preference. Another significant benefit of practicing mindfulness is that it gets results quickly. It teaches you self-control while providing you with a sense of mental and emotional clarity. Thus, you’re able to recognize when you’re anxious, which helps you make better decisions.
Focus On The Good
We’ve become acclimated to seeing the wrong or the negative in everything. It’s our default to see someone and look for flaws. We take a walk in the park and think of all the things that can go wrong. That’s our anxiety talking. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Even with everything going on with the pandemic, we can learn to shift our negative thought patterns to more neutral, dare I say, even happier ones. We need to start asking ourselves: what’s NOT wrong with this moment? Get your brain to focus on the things that are acceptable, even good, in your day. It doesn’t have to be something big where birds start singing. That only happens in Disney movies. All you need to do is allow yourself to be pleased that your favorite song is on or that your cute pooch is resting on your lap.
Some people even keep a journal to jot down random things they’re thankful for throughout their day. Keeping a gratitude journal can help put things in perspective and help you see the good amid the chaos and anguish brought on by the pandemic.
Show More Empathy
Feeling isolated and helpless are possibly two of the worst feelings in the world. Yet, they don’t have to take over your life if you don't want them to. One way to deal with strong emotions like these is to do something for someone else. It could be a friend, a family member, or even a stranger. Research shows that when we help someone, it triggers the release of ‘feel-good’ hormones in our brains. This is what makes altruism the gift that keeps on giving. When you shift your focus to others, you not only help them out, but you help yourself as well! You lower your anxiety, boost your self-esteem, all while enjoying a little perk in your step!
Take Action
Moderate exercise, nutrition, and sleep are the three main staples in every healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. So, if you’re looking for a coping mechanism, we recommend taking action, especially when it comes to your health. Those three factors we mentioned at the start of this segment will help boost your immune system. In other words, your body becomes stronger at protecting itself against almost all types of diseases.
Since our bodies and minds are connected, being physically strong means your mental health gets a nice boost as well. You become more resilient in times of trouble.
Consequently, you learn how to be in better control of your life, thus decreasing your risk of mental health issues, such as:
Depression
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Panic disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Want to learn more? Get my free ebook on 'Find Hope and Keep Calm During Times of Crisis'
The opposite of hope is despair. In its clutches, it is easy to believe that there is no way out. At its extreme, life itself can seem to be either worthless or too hard to continue with.
But life is worthwhile. So worthwhile. And where there is life there is hope.
Countless people have moved from feeling the depths of worthlessness to being so grateful that they kept on, and lived a life of gratitude on the other side of their seemingly insurmountable challenges.
There are so many circumstances and events in the human experience where it is necessary to metaphorically wade through oceans of mud to reach the beautiful distant shore.
If these are hard times for you, keep going. This too shall pass.
Do what you know you need to do. Follow the suggestions you have just read, and above all, try really hard not to get caught up in everyone else’s generalized angst and despair.
Keep it about you and yours, and work on matters to you.