We live in a chaotic world. Between the constant pressure to be productive and the endless stimulation, it can all feel a little overwhelming. But there is a solution—find inner peace and create your own moments of stillness.
find inner peace & stillness
Other than suggesting meditation, although helpful and incredibly powerful, here are some other tips on creating a space of stillness and peace within you.
Let’s get started—here’s how to find inner peace in a chaotic world.
live life for you
Release the pressure to fit in and keep up with what everyone else is doing. Live life for you. You are the only one who has to live your life. Make it a good one. Make it one that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning.
Figure out what you truly like and do whatever you need to do to create that lifestyle for yourself. Don’t just follow others’ paths, that’s the surest way to guarantee unhappiness.
And one tip instead of trying to fit in, work on yourself. Fall in love with who you authentically are. Work on building your confidence, your capacity for compassion, and embracing childlike wonder and joy for everything in your life. Everything else will fall into place—the friends, the love, and the opportunities.
For embracing that childlike wonder, here are some fun ways to heal your inner child.
don’t fight the bad days
Don’t resist the bad days or your negative feelings. They are normal. You don’t have to be happy and zen all the time. We are human and we are going to experience ups and downs.
Become at peace with your emotions. Do not allow yourself to be consumed by them—learn to become the witness. It can be helpful to remember one of my favorite quotes:
“You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather”
— Pema Chödrön
Don’t allow your thoughts to spiral, remember you are in control. You do not have to become one with your thoughts. There is you and then there are your thoughts. You are in charge. Practicing mindfulness and meditation will help you to become disciplined with your thoughts. They will no longer have control over you—and it’s an incredible feeling.
For a little help with this, check out Insight Timer, my favorite meditation app, and my post on easy ways to practice mindfulness that aren’t meditation.
zoom out & find inner peace
Remember the bigger picture. There’s this video I saw a while back that starts with a singular person sitting in their room on their phone and then it begins to zoom out—it shows the house they live in, then the city, the state, the country, planet Earth, our solar system, and then the milky way galaxy and beyond.
I love thinking about this video from time to time. It reminds me how small we all are, how insignificant everything is in the most beautiful way. It’s so freeing to think about.
remember your mortality
Speaking of zooming out, never forget about your mortality. This is how you keep that zest and gratitude for life.
One day we will all cease to exist. Our current bodies and personalities will ultimately become dust and memories, but that can be a beautiful thing! Without death, life lacks meaning.
We all know from The Vampire Diaries that immortality doesn’t pan out too well. Without the promise of death, people tend to lose their appreciation for life. Why would we chase our dreams? We can do that in the next century.
Also, don’t worry so much about living a big life—focus on finding joy in the little things. Be present, practice gratitude, enjoy the passage of time, and before you know it, you’ll have created a beautiful life for yourself that truly brings you joy.
unconditionally accept yourself
Accept yourself exactly as you are—right now. Mentally, physically, and spiritually. Be here now. Let go of what you can’t change and practice gratitude for what you do have.
Hating yourself is exhausting. It got to the point where I just didn’t want to be at war with myself for the rest of my life. What a waste of time! Think about all the good I could do instead.
One trick to unconditionally accepting yourself is having fun with your personal expression. Treat it like a video game. You get to dress your avatar up however you want—every day for the rest of your life! Wear what you want. Oh, and wear clothes that fit your body now, no more living in the past or future. You’ll feel so much better.
don’t wait to live
When learning to accept yourself, it can be easy to fall into the hamster wheel trap of self-improvement. Growing as a person is essential to life, but don’t forget to live.
I love self-improvement. I love taking online courses, working out, and reading self-help books, but please do not wait to live your life until you’ve “become” the best version of yourself. You’ll regret all that time wasted. Live now, even if imperfectly. Go to that art class, go on those dates, meet new people, go on that abroad trip. Live your life—you only get one.
find inner peace amidst the chaos
Well, that’s all I have for today. I hope these tips help you to find a little more inner peace in this crazy, beautiful, chaotic world.
To further create stillness within, check out my post on how to regulate your nervous system.
