3 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR PEACE
Know your capacity and set boundaries
Very often we overbook our schedules with activities that consume us, but don’t fuel us. This eventually leads to burnout. Time is irredeemable, so it’s your responsibility to prioritize it, manage it and invest it in meaning ways. Don’t allow others to waste or manipulate your time. Focus on what’s important and the things that ignite your soul. Be OK with saying no or not right now, without feeling guilty or feeling the need to justify your response. No is a complete sentence so stop saying yes to things you don’t really want to do. Create healthy boundaries and stand boldly by them. Distance yourself from individuals who always show up with toxic energy that drains and depletes you. Peace cannot co-exist with drama or chaos, so choose peace every time.
Learn to manage your thoughts
There is a direct correlation between your thoughts and your ability to maintain peace within. Your thoughts drive your habits and your emotions, so it’s so important to be mindful what you allow through the gateways of your ears and your eyes. Guarding your state of mind and protecting your emotional energy must be paramount. Peace brings clarity, creativity and serenity. The wrong thoughts will keep you in self-doubt, depressed and defeated. These thoughts can also lead the path to worry, anxiety, fear and crippling insecurities. Pay attention to your triggers and how certain thoughts and environments make you feel. Learn to break away from places and the cycle of thoughts that repeatedly steal your peace. Pick your battles and understand not everything deserves a response. Sometimes silence is the best response to maintaining your peace.
Be part of your own rescue with radical self-care
Peace doesn’t just happen automatically on its own. It requires intentional care and stillness. Take the time to discover the things that bring you peace and do more of those things frequently. Sometimes that means taking a break from your daily routines or taking a vacation, or “staycation”. That could also mean taking a break from social media. Technology has become such a big part of our lives and sometimes we need to simply shut it all down so we can silence the noise of the world. A social media break also allows us the opportunity to reconnect to ourselves on a deeper level. Additionally, don’t hesitate to put your phone on do not disturb when necessary. Your self-care and peace of mind should not be optional or secondary. It begins with creating morning routines that set the tone for a peaceful day. For me that involves prayer, worship music and a 6am morning walk. On the weekends, I find the most peace at the beach, going to the spa for a relaxing massage or listening to calming nature sounds while enjoying the ambience of lavender scented candles. For you, peace could be obtained through yoga, meditation and some time in the gym. Perhaps you like going to a park or getting cozy with a good book or binging your favorite television show. The beautiful thing about peace, is that you get to define what that looks like for you and then you work to pursue that relentlessly.
Be unapologetic about protecting your peace because you absolutely deserve to live a life that is overflowing with it.