You're not the first person looking for inner peace. Many have searched for a solution and the results all read about the same.
7 Steps to Find Your Inner Peace and HappinessHow to Look Within For Your PeaceAchieve Your Inner Peace Today
They all talk about things like control, balance, worry and stress. They come with suggestions like:
Meditate and be still. Slow down.Be grateful and smile more.Focus on your breathing. Stay calm.Spend time outside and be in nature.Help others and do good deeds.
There are many more recommendations, and some work better than others. But, none of them ever give you the internal peace you're seeking.
The evangelist Billy Graham once said, "Suppose you had all the knowledge and all the wealth and all the power in the whole world today and lost your soul. You see, the whole country is on a quest for something, in drugs, in sex, and in entertainment. We want something, but we don't know quite what it is. And it's elusive; we don't find it."
There's an empty space inside of each of us and people believe they can fill it with various things to satisfy their need. They believe their lives will be full of contentment, happiness and peace once they fill that internal void.
Billy Graham went on to say, "Solomon was the great king of Israel… His income was staggering. Nobody that ever lived in history could compare with Solomon in financial worth. Anything he could dream of, he had it. You know how many wives he had? Seven hundred, but that didn't satisfy… Every pleasure at his beck and call. He thought it would bring the peace that he longed for and then he said, 'But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless.' It was a bubble that burst. It didn't satisfy. Something beyond it satisfies. What is it?"
People have tried to find inner peace through experiences, fame, achievements, money, sex and everything under the sun. There's a much better answer to the question.
Graham concludes, "Deep in your heart, something is missing. You don't know what it is. The thing that's missing is that personal relationship with Christ."SUBSCRIBE
Finding Peace of Mind: 6 Steps Toward Lasting Serenity
Medically reviewed by Matthew Boland, PhD — Written by Crystal Raypole — Updated on August 18, 2021
Accept what you can't changeForgiveStay presentFocus on yourselfKeep a journalConnect with natureTakeaway
Share on PinterestIllustration by Alyssa Kiefer
In the busy whirlwind of life, calmness might seem like a friend you rarely have the chance to catch up with.
Peace of mind, also described as inner calm, refers to an internal state of tranquility. When you have peace of mind, you might feel:
at ease within yourselfa sense of self-compassionunruffled by day-to-day worriesprepared to welcome whatever life tosses your way
You might assume you can only find peace of mind when completely free of troubles, but that's not the case.
In fact, it often works the other way around. Feeling at peace internally can boost overall contentment and feelings of happiness. Plus, a relaxed and calm outlook can help you navigate life's often-turbulent waters more smoothly.
Finding peace of mind isn't as challenging as it seems. Try these tips anytime, anywhere, to get started.
What happens when you can't find peace of mind?
The demands of everyday life can lead to stress and other emotional turmoil, no question — especially if you're going through a rough patch.
You typically can't escape life's challenges, and inner peace won't make your difficulties disappear. But peace of mind is so important because it can help you remain calm in the face of distress by easing feelings of anxiety, worry, and overwhelm.
Without peace of mind, you might eventually begin to notice symptoms of anxiety and stress, including:
sleep disturbancesaches and painsfatigue and low energystomach distressanger or irritabilitydifficulty concentratingrelationship tension or conflict
Inner calm doesn't necessarily prevent symptoms of anxiety or depression. All the same, a lack of it could worsen mental and emotional distress.