The Psychology of Mental Peace

With the rise and advancement in technology, a lot of things have become very accessible and easier for people. The current era of technological dominance has provided us with lots of facilities and advantages like infinite information, resources and entertainment. However, it comes with more and more stress and mental restlessness. Due to this, it has become difficult for people to achieve and maintain mental peace.

What do we Mean by Mental Peace?

Every individual desires to be happy and therefore seeks happiness. But happiness is directly affected by both physical as well as mental health of an individual. Being at mental peace should also be an essential goal for humans because it brings tranquility and satisfaction in one’s life. Failing at which, one might experience feelings of stress and anxiety in their daily lives. Mental or inner peace can be described by the feeling of ease within, sense of inner calmness, not being ruffled by day to day problems and having an optimistic approach to face life no matter what comes your way.

Also Read: Mental health and wellness: overcoming the uncertainty by finding inner peace

A lot of times, people associate inner peace with an untroubled life. But that is not the case. In fact, being at peace means that regardless whatever challenges life throws at you, you remain contended and hopeful about it. Keeping your calm and mental equilibrium through the struggles of life determines your inner peace.

How to Find Mental Peace?

It is easier said than done and peace is something one cannot force upon themselves. We can achieve mental peace by practicing few things.

1) If you can’t change or control it, accept it!

Acceptance in itself can bring a lot of peace in human mind. However, it does not work like when you can’t control something you end up forcing peace upon yourself. It is very normal for us as individuals to feel worried and stressed when we face difficulties and challenges in life. It is okay to be sad over a breakup or being stressed due to work pressure. The problem arises when one stays fixated on a particular issue and keep lingering on it knowing that they cannot change or control it.

Therefore, it is important to let go of what is uncontrollable and focus on what is in control or can be changed by you. And this can only come with the whole hearted acceptance of past and bad experiences. It will take time to build this practice but once made, it will bring you with mental peace.

Also Read: Restorative Environments and Mental Health

2) Practicing Forgiveness

It is very common to encounter such instances in life where someone hurts you or does something bad to you. It is normal to feel hurt and get upset or angry in such circumstances. However, holding grudges against people for a long time and staying in the feelings of anger, disappointment or grudge can drain your emotional energy which can eventually effect your physical as well as mental health. It can also result in disturbed sleep, heart related problems, lack of mental presence etc. It is not that forgiveness comes easily. But when we inculcate empathy and compassion in our lives, it gets easier for us to forgive and let go.

Moreover, forgiveness is not important in terms of others only, it is important to forgive yourself as well, time to time, by letting go your past mistake and make a better you.

3) Practicing Mindfulness

Mindfulness in an ability to be fully aware of your present, including where you are and what you are doing. It can be task for one to be fully aware and practice conscious awareness. Meditation is something that can help and guide us to mindfulness. Researches have shown evidences that meditation reduces stress, increases self-awareness and also brings positive changes in our brain. It also helps us in regulating our emotions and coping with distress.

Mindfulness can help one acknowledging, accepting and letting go all that distress that we carry within which ultimately results in peace of mind.

4) Making Time for Yourself

There is a difference between being lonely and being alone. Being lonely means feeling of emptiness even when you are sitting with your group and loneliness can result in more distress in an individual. However, being alone does not necessarily mean that you are in misery. One can choose to be alone and sometimes spending time on your own can result in the well-being of an individual.

Also Read: How Does Ego Impact Our Mental Health?

Spending time with self can also bring tranquility and sense of solitude in one’s life. Solitude helps one to reflect on their values, reevaluate boundaries, connect with self and embrace the real self.

5) Getting in Touch with Nature

As we discussed in the beginning of this article that due to the daily ruffle and technological dependent life, we have somewhere forgotten to reflect upon ourselves and lost the touch with nature. An abundance of research has shown evidences that natural environment and spaces that gives exposure to nature can reduce emotional distress in an individual and help them attain inner calm and peace of mind.

Spending time in nature can also help one in soothing the negative feelings like anger, sadness or worry, promotes stability, reduces the chances of anxiety, depression or any other mental health condition, brings a sense of mindfulness, improves the focusing power etc. One can try talking a walk in nearby park or any scenic view, visit a national forest, challenge themselves with adventurous activities that involves nature like hiking, trekking, gardening, harvesting etc.

Peace of Mind can be Different for Everyone

Although all these tips can help us a long way to mental peace by making informed choices, building connection with self and our surroundings, the journey to attain the peace of mind is very personal and subjective to every being. That is why it is important to consider the psychological and mental health factors while determining the mental peace of an individual. The psychological understanding of human beings and their life can help us a lot to make the goal of mental peace achievable.