The modern world is filled with worries and stress, which is why a person is always exposed to various troubling moral problems. Few people think about how to find peace of mind. After all, the inner world of each person must be in a state of harmony with the person’s own “I”. He must be so strong as to be able to overcome various disagreements and life difficulties. Peace of mind is a feeling of inner peace, a feeling of freedom from stress, thoughts, worries, fear, it is a state of serenity.
Many people would be happy to realize how to gain peace of mind, to be free despite the stress that occurs in their lives every day. There are cultures in which peace of mind, the inner world of a person, is understood as a state of enlightenment, consciousness, which can be expressed in meditation or prayer. Often, peace of mind is associated with the teachings of religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
After a person has managed to find and gain peace of mind, she does not focus on her worries and problems. She uses the positive aspects of peace of mind, as well as freedom, to help get rid of obsession with any thoughts.
It is worth noting that every person, sometimes without realizing it, is in a state of peace of mind. Such moments occur during his participation in any activity that absorbs him with its fascination. For example, reading a book, staying on the beach, watching a movie.
How to achieve peace of mind?
In order to learn to consciously be in a state of peace of mind, we recommend adhering to the following rules:
So, everyone can achieve permanent peace of mind. This requires sincere desire and determination.
Prayer is rest for the soul
A wonderful vacation for a person, my dears, is to devote even a little time in your life. If, after an exhausting day, a little time is devoted to it and a person frees himself to commune with the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, which is generous and abundant in the Church, then he will truly have a full rest. After all, rest is not when we sleep for a long time or make various trips. And this, of course, is also a rest for the body. But rest for the soul, spiritual rest, is much more important and significant. A person truly rests when he learns a living connection with God.
I say this because everyone notices how wonderful peace a person’s spirit finds during the holy services of the Church (as was the case at the prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos, which we sang with you). How much these sacred troparia, composed by saints who had the experience of knowing the Holy Spirit and the presence of God in their hearts and who expressed precisely this experience in church music, troparia, and chants, help the human spirit to ascend to God and partake of the Holy Spirit. The Lord gives Him to those who seek and thirst for Him. All this gives us a true sense of the presence of God, relaxation, a true feeling, so to speak, of amusement and entertainment. I am absolutely sure that from one real, from one service, from one sacred rite in the temple space, you will rest in a way that it is impossible to rest in the best entertainment centers where people go - they leave them even more tired than they came, more nervous . Sometimes they get so excited that one kills the other.
And it’s strange to hear when someone says: well, today, when you can spend your nights in entertainment centers, people should be calm, joyful, smiling every day. Yes, as soon as they get out of bed, they press a button, turn on the radio, noise and din begin, they start singing along, and so from the very morning they wake up, they’re already on edge! Sometimes, before dawn, we drive down from the monastery by car and see how, at the slightest provocation, they shout, bully each other, swear, and are about to fight. And you ask yourself: what happened to them? It’s still only morning... well, after all, it would be evening... But it’s early morning, seven o’clock, they haven’t even opened their eyes yet, but they’re already on their nerves. Where were they? They may have spent the whole night in entertainment venues, where they left after spending too much, so that they returned home in an even worse state than they were the day before!
A man enters, an angel comes out
This does not happen in the Church. “,” St. John Chrysostom says in a beautiful word, “...do you want to know what the Church is and what its miracle is? It's very simple. Look around you or go into a church - and you will see that the church is a place where the wolf enters and the lamb comes out. You enter the church as a wolf and leave as a lamb. You go in as a robber and come out as a saint, you come in as a wrathful man and you come out as a meek man, you come in as a carnal sinner and you come out as a spiritual man, you come in as a man and you come out as an angel.” And he corrects himself: “What am I saying: an angel?!” Is it just an angel? You go in as a man and come out as a god by grace!” This is what the Church is.
And indeed, this is an indisputable fact: a person in a church space, in an atmosphere of chants and prayers, finds serene peace. Because, as you know, in the Orthodox Church there are great services, and it is, first of all, Divine services, and the entire “therapeutic course” with which it affects people, the souls of people, is a course of treatment through divine services. I remember how people came to the Holy Mountain (and in general I noticed this throughout my entire monastic life) to live in the monastery. How wild they looked! Their faces reflected their inner savagery - a wild disposition, a wild look... After they spent a day or two on the Holy Mountain, in the monastery, attending services, then little by little the sweetness and meekness of God’s grace emerged on their faces. And despite the fact that they were just pilgrims, the Spirit of God still influenced them, they calmed down and acquired true peace.
And many said: we are going to the Holy Mountain, to the monastery, and even if we don’t get much benefit, we will at least get a great night’s sleep, we sleep so well in the monastery as nowhere else outside its walls, otherwise we can’t have any peace find nothing else. And not because there is silence in the monastery. There was silence in the world too. But because there was peace in the monastery, spiritual peace. This contrast was so sharp that it could be seen with the naked eye. Sometimes I made fun of them (some of them thought that we all on the Holy Mountain have the gift of clairvoyance and just look at a person and see right through him)! But the saints could do it - and who are we?! And then one day, probably 25 people came. I tell them: “Do you want me to tell you now which of you came for the first time, and which of you have already been here?” They say: “Yes, father, tell us.” I looked at their faces - and indeed, from them it was immediately possible to identify those who were not on the Holy Mountain for the first time; they had different faces in comparison with the others. And I said: “There you are, you, you, you, you already were.” And he turned out to be right, he guessed everything! And so he partook of the glory of the seer! (Laughter.) Although he was like those fakirs, who in reality are charlatans!
God is a reliable support in life
Therefore, learn to eat God's blessing! Therefore, you need to learn to pray, my dears, because in your daily life, no matter how you look at it, you encounter many difficulties and disappointments, many are at a dead end. At least, from my short communication with you, I see that you have many hopeless situations, problems, questions, and severe anxiety. And even the darkness that sometimes penetrates the youthful soul, and a person then does not know who he is, nor what he is doing, nor where he is going, nor what he wants - he knows nothing.
All this will be cured when a person begins to pray. When a person begins to pray, he receives strength from prayer. there is light because God Himself is light. And the light of God begins to gradually dissolve spiritual darkness. And if sometimes darkness persists in a person’s soul, this happens because the good God, like a doctor, wants to heal the soul with humility, to teach a person to humble himself. And we need to learn to receive this strength in order to swim across the sea of our life and overcome difficulties with reliable support.
Other supports that exist today: our common sense, our money, our health, our strength, another person, our neighbor, our friend, our girlfriend, our spouse, etc., are supports that are also good, but they not reliable because they are subject to destruction and change. People change, the world around us changes due to certain events, due to certain circumstances. The only reliable support, unchanging support, is faith in God. God never changes. He does not get lost, does not change, does not disappoint a person, never betrays him. God does not leave His works unfinished and half-done, but brings them to completion, because God Himself is perfect! So often when you face failures, especially now when you are studying, failures in exams, in classes, you need to learn this power of prayer to rise above failures, like an airplane flying above the clouds during a thunderstorm. He soars up and is not afraid of anything; the thunderstorm rages, but it does not reach the height where he flies because he has “strength” that allows him to overcome such situations.
Wish me luck!
And even more so in the Church, God gives strength not only to overcome ours, but also to derive spiritual benefit from these failures. And sometimes failure becomes the best of successes! Because it has such beneficial effects on a person’s soul, on his personality as a whole, which are often necessary for a person. I can say that it is imperative to learn to cope with failure. Failures are very important for a person. Everywhere we are wished “good luck”, but we need to be wished at least sometimes “good failure”, so that we know that we need to prepare for failures, and not get used to the fact that everything should be the way we want it. And as soon as the slightest obstacle arises, we run to psychologists and psychiatrists, our head is filled with the fact that we have “psychological problems.” Our head is filled with “psychological problems”, our pocket is filled with pills, and the psychologist’s pocket is filled with money. “45 minutes cost 15 liras,” he tells you! You know, some psychologists don't like me because I stole their clients! (Laughter.) When I heard about this, I was surprised myself - the day before yesterday a psychologist told me about a conversation that took place in his professional circle that some people had lost clients because of me. But this is a truly dramatic situation: a person, drowning in his problems, comes to the doctor, and he looks at his watch. And as soon as 45 minutes have elapsed, he says: “Look (and the poor guy is confessing his life to him), do you want to move on to the second hour? Do the math, otherwise stay in your abyss and come back another time!” Despite all this, we often turn to psychologists. Is there a need for this and what exactly? People pay to talk, they pay to be listened to. You can imagine what we have come to. That is, what a difficult situation people are in that they do this! And all because they lost communication with God.
Prayer shows the meaning of life
God asks us, urges us, begs us, compels us to talk with Him! Do you see what He says? Ask, seek, knock on the door - and it will be opened for you. Whatever you ask, God will give you. And if we learn to pray, then we will gain peace in our souls. And this spiritual peace is the force that prevents a person from drowning. So a person who learns to pray understands very well what the meaning of his life is. He finds the meaning of life, and in this sense there is room for his failures.
Love and peace are inseparable. Love is not possessing another person. This is a state of harmony with the whole world and, above all, with yourself. This is the confidence that you are moving in the right direction. If we seek love, we find peace of mind, and if we strive for peace, we find love.
Above all, peace is balance
The number one challenge for people doing martial arts is to maintain balance. Once you start practicing karate, you will learn that strength comes from balance and a cool head. Once you add emotions, your song is sung.
Balance and peace of mind are the sources of our self-confidence. Calm does not mean sleepy! Calm is managing power, not resisting it. Calmness is the ability to see the big picture without focusing on the details.
If you want to protect yourself from all adversities, you have chosen the wrong planet
Peace and confidence can only be found within yourself. There is no stability in the world around us; everything around is in a state of eternal variability. How can we cope with the unpredictability of life? Only by accepting it!
Tell yourself: “I love surprises. It’s great when you know that something unexpected can happen at any moment.”
Make a decision: “No matter what happens, I can handle it.”
Make an agreement with yourself: “If I get fired, I will find a job with a more flexible schedule. If I get hit by a bus, I won't be here anymore."
This is not a joke. This is the truth of life. The earth is a dangerous place. People are born and die here. But that doesn't mean you have to live like a cowardly rabbit.
How to achieve peace of mind?
To find peace of mind, first of all, you need to change your worldview. The habit of giving yourself a break every day can also help with this.
People who have achieved peace of mind often perform certain rituals. Some pray, others meditate, some walk along the seashore at dawn. Everyone finds their own way of relaxation. This helps us better understand ourselves and understand the world around us.
Life will remain a struggle if we insist on it
Modern Western civilization has taught us to constantly strain ourselves. I don’t argue with the fact that “you can’t pull a fish out of a pond without difficulty.” But before we start doing anything, we need to stop fighting everything and everyone. We grew up believing in resistance. We tend to push events and push people. We exhaust ourselves, and this does more harm than good.
Why is relaxation needed?
Almost everything we do in life is a race for results. But deep relaxation, meditation or prayer help us take a fresh look at life. We expect that the future will give us many pleasant moments. However, our attention must still be focused on the present.
As we practice deep relaxation, we will begin to notice that some of the qualities acquired through the exercises gradually become habits and change our daily life. We become calmer, we have intuition.
We all have an inner voice, but it is weak and barely discernible. When life gets too hectic and noisy, we stop hearing it. But as soon as we muffle extraneous sounds, everything changes. Our intuition is always with us, but often we do not pay any attention to it.
Lots of people go through this cycle. From this we can conclude: “If you don’t have time for relaxation, it is absolutely necessary for you.”
Meditation will save you more time than you spend on it. Make it a habit - tune yourself like tuning a musical instrument. Twenty minutes every day - so that the strings of your soul sound clean and harmonious. Wake up every morning with the intention of being calm and balanced. Some days you will be able to hold out until the evening, and sometimes you will only be able to hold out until breakfast. But if maintaining peace of mind becomes the goal, gradually you will learn this art.
Forces of nature
Have you ever noticed that you can wander in the forest all day and feel an influx of energy? Or spend the morning at the mall and feel like you've been run over by a truck? Everything around us vibrates, be it grass, concrete, plastic or polyester. We catch it. Gardens and forests have a healing vibration - they restore our energy.
The vibrations of concrete shopping centers are of a different type: they suck up energy. The vibration of cathedrals is directed upward. You'll lose the lion's share of your vitality in smoky bars and strip clubs.
It doesn't take a genius to understand: our health and attitude depend on the elusive energy of the environment. When we are full of energy, we can easily resist illness and the bad mood of others. If energy is at zero, we attract depression and illness.
Greetings, deserted corner...
It is no mere coincidence that cultures around the world have a tradition and reverence for solitude. During the period of initiation, both the American Indian and the African Bushman left their tribes, hiding in the mountains or forests in order to understand their destiny.
The great Teachers - Christ, Buddha, Magomed - drew inspiration from solitude, as did millions of monks, mystics and seekers of truth who followed in their footsteps. Each of us needs such a treasured place where phones don’t ring, where there’s no TV or Internet. Let it be a nook in the bedroom, a corner on the balcony or a bench in the park - this is our territory for creativity and reflection.
Everything is one
Since the 17th century, science has had Sir Isaac Newton's method: if you want to understand something, break it into pieces and study the pieces. If this does not add clarity, divide into even smaller parts...
Eventually you will get to the bottom of how the universe works. But is this true? Take a Shakespeare sonnet and break it down into nouns, prepositions and pronouns, then break the words down into letters. Will the author's intent become clearer to you? Lay out the Mona Lisa into brush strokes. What will this give you? Science works miracles, but at the same time it dissects. The mind breaks things down into parts. The heart collects them into one whole.
Health and well-being come when we look at the world as a whole. This fully applies to our body, our lives, and all of humanity.
Peace of mind is the basis for a harmonious human life. If there is no peace of mind, then a person cannot concentrate on business, enjoy family relationships, and generally act effectively and fruitfully in life. Lack of peace of mind takes away a person's strength. Peace of mind comes to someone on its own. And we need to take an example from such people. Peaceful people follow a general set of rules, and if you learn them, you too will become calmer and happier.
Firstly, stop interfering in other people's affairs so as not to upset your inner balance. Most people have problems in life because they often “poke their nose” into things that aren’t their own business. Some people do this because they think that by being involved in someone else's life, they will be doing them an invaluable service. The desire to interfere in someone else’s business is dictated by the confidence that only our logic is the only correct one. As a result, a person begins to criticize in every possible way the one who disagrees with him, trying to reason with him and direct him to the right path, that is, his own path. This model of behavior is based on the denial of the right of any person to be an individual. But we are designed by nature to be unique creatures. And the life of another person should be beyond our participation. It makes much more sense to focus on the quality of your life. There cannot be two people who act and think the same way. So stop worrying about strangers. Put all your energy into taking care of yourself.
For peace of mind, the ability to forgive and erase from memory is extremely important. Perhaps this skill will be the most effective method for finding peace of mind. Many people carry grudges against someone else for years. But the offense most likely took place only once. And remembering it, we only fuel our dissatisfaction with life. There is absolutely no point in constantly “scratching the same wound.” Don't judge other people for their actions, even if they are not the best. Don't waste your life on such trifles. The person who hurt you will not escape punishment. For your own well-being, it is better for you to forgive him and continue to live your calm, happy life. Many people cannot calm down because they have not found public recognition.
Such recognition is very important for egoists, of whom there are quite a few among us. Egoists cannot appreciate another person without wanting to benefit for themselves. But there are no perfect people. Think about why you need words of approval and praise from mortals like yourself? Why want recognition from someone else when you can simply believe in yourself and begin to act for your own good? Even if you are praised, it will not last forever. Therefore, it is foolish to seek public recognition. Such searches only deprive you of peace of mind. Recognize yourself, and you will be happy. The enemy of peace of mind is envy. Sometimes we are literally oppressed by a feeling of perceived injustice.
For example, imagine a situation in which you worked hard and with great diligence for a whole year, and the promotion went to your colleague, who worked, to put it mildly, carelessly. Don't envy him. In any case, you will also be duly thanked for your work. The life of any of us is subject to the laws of karma. Karma reflects our actions and series of actions in past lives. If, according to the laws of karma, you must achieve wealth, you will definitely achieve it. Nothing in the world can stop this. But blaming someone else for your own failures will only sow anxiety and disappointment in your soul.
Give up envy and accusations of injustice, and you will bring yourself closer to the desired results. If you want change, start with yourself. You still won't be able to change the world alone. So wouldn't it be wiser to try to change yourself in some way? Many find it difficult to decide to take such a step due to common fear. It is human nature to fear everything unknown. But you just need to change at least one of your habits, and the changes will only be a joy to you. By changing yourself, you can turn even an unfriendly environment into a harmonious and extremely pleasant one, bringing you complete satisfaction and peace of mind. If you can't change something, just accept it. Humility is the key to turning negative aspects of life into positive ones.
Inconveniences, illnesses, various misfortunes and other circumstances that cause irritation and negative emotions can appear every day. A number of them cannot be covered by our control. But it is in our power to learn to put up with them. This is very easy to do. If something unpleasant happens, just tell yourself that God wanted it. This will make you more tolerant of life and others. As a result, you will become a very strong-willed, strong and calm person. Many of us tend to take on more tasks, tasks and obligations than we can actually fulfill. For some people, the weight of responsibility makes them meaningful. But this importance serves the purpose of satisfying egoistic needs.
You must evaluate your own capabilities adequately. You should definitely have free time that you could spend on being with yourself. Self-sufficient people are prevented from feeling only by thoughts. Accordingly, the fewer such thoughts in your head, the calmer your soul will be. A mind freed from thoughts will guarantee your peace of mind. Calmness is essentially the absence of tension in the mind. If there is no interfering voltage, then a person’s performance increases. But your mind and brain should not be “idling” at the same time.
It is so easy to plunge back into the swamp of unnecessary and interfering thoughts. Your mind should be focused on something truly worthwhile that allows you to feel positive. The best method to achieve this state would be a hobby. A hobby gives many people the opportunity for self-realization and brings a feeling of success. A hobby allows a person to relax physically.
And a rested person does not suffer from the fact that there is no peace in his soul. Calmness is not possible in such a situation if a person wants to calculate everything in advance. While planning every step of our life, we still won’t be able to predict how it will actually turn out. Planning in most cases only brings disappointment. The universe has its own plan for you. Always remember this. Train yourself to count only your time. Even if something doesn’t work out, it cannot be a reason for grief. After all, nothing prevents you from making mistakes next time and acting more successfully.
Don't hold on to negative or erroneous experiences, constantly returning to them in your thoughts. Learn from your mistakes and move on without regrets. This way you will tear yourself away from the shackles of the past and be able to experience complete peace in your soul. He, in turn, will give you confidence that your life will definitely become what you would like it to become. Peace of mind makes us free and provides the basis for achieving happiness.
There is no life without problems. There is always something or someone that brings anxiety and trouble. Often the cause of trouble is the person himself. But the source of problems is not as significant as their solution, because this is the only way to get peace of mind. Or is there another way?
Throughout a person’s life, they encounter problems, they have no end and end, these are life lessons that make the soul and body stronger, smarter, more beautiful. So there is no point in hoping for a complete solution to all problems; they will appear again. But you can learn to live with them, to respond correctly to them, so that it is not just easier to live, but also to find balance in your life and find peace of mind, so necessary for a normal, happy life and physical health. There are several tips, steps, after which you can look at the world with different eyes, stop getting angry over trifles and find peace of mind.
11 steps to calm and balance
- Awareness is the first step to solving a problem. It is impossible to escape from difficulties and worries; they will find you and punish you for your cowardice. It is better to accept and realize their significance. After all, there is no smoke without fire. Analyze the situation, where the problem came from, how it can be solved, but most importantly, take it for granted, because only by coming to terms with it can you really solve it completely.
- Everyone has shortcomings; they cannot be avoided or corrected. So there is no point in losing your temper while watching your husband throw dirty socks under the chair and not into the basket with dirty clothes. You love this person, so accept his shortcomings, these are his parts, you cannot love only half. This also applies to other things: rain will fall in the fall, despite your desire, and the sun will mercilessly scorch the earth in the summer, even if the temperature has already reached 50 degrees. Your anger will not help here. But having relaxed, you can accept all the shortcomings of this world, all its worries and blessings, you just need to take off your rose-colored glasses, the world is not ideal, but even in the bad you can find something good if you look closely.
- Happiness is unattainable while there is resentment in the heart. And even if the offender is cruel and unfair, only by forgiving him can you begin to move on. Anger, like resentment, is destructive, it burns a person from the inside, and therefore does not give peace and only pushes him into the abyss. Anger does not bring goodness or goodness. All you need to do is let her go, of course, many will decide to take revenge before that, but this only makes sense if you want to give what they deserve to those who deserve it. For example, putting a person who has committed a crime in prison will be much more prudent than turning a blind eye to his sins. But taking undeserved revenge is even worse than being angry or offended. You hurt an innocent person, and therefore destroy your harmony, your balance.
- Try to exclude negativity from your daily “menu”. Bad news on TV, an angry neighbor, or an angry boss, quarrels. This does not mean just turning around and leaving, but paying less attention to it. They yell or get angry, it doesn’t concern you, you yourself know what you are guilty of and what you are not guilty of and solve all your shortcomings, but there is no point in accepting the bad energy of your boss.
- A spark of hope and goodness can be seen even where, it would seem, it definitely cannot be. Pay attention to things that, although mundane, bring joy and pleasure: a warm bath, hot coffee, autumn leaves swirling beautifully above your head, or rain that brings with it at least just a beautiful landscape or a rainbow. Of course, big problems - money, family, love - will not go away, but this does not mean that you should always walk around as a gloomy person. Even if you don’t have enough money now, but you are drinking your favorite delicious tea, or eating a delicious dish at this very moment, and this is what is important. Joy from little things sometimes brings relief that there is still joy and throughout the whole day there were not only bad moments, but also good ones.
- Having accepted and realized all the previous points, start thinking about today. Yesterday was a terrible day, and in three days you have a difficult exam to take. But today it has already passed and has not yet come, so why think about it? Get the most out of this day, achieve something important, think about an interesting movie, in the end, prepare for this exam, but with positive thoughts. Everything is possible, the exam can be given automatically! And the chance of this is insignificant, it still exists. Setting yourself up for the worst case scenario will only increase your anxiety and fear.
- “All things shall pass” is a phrase written on the ring of Solomon, one of the wisest men of all time. And it is not without reason. Everything really goes away. The day is coming to an end, the pain may leave a scar, but not remain whole, original forever, sooner or later the wounds heal, even if they leave a mark in the memory. But still, any difficulties make a person stronger or completely break him. You will always have time to try the second option, so why not try to implement the first? When faced with any difficulty, immediately think that it will make you stronger, and not that this is a new painful problem.
- Sooner or later, a day comes when everything suddenly falls like a cumbersome stone on your fragile shoulders: problems at home, with your loved one, at work, and on the way, your stockings were torn! But if you run after all your problems at once, you won’t have time to do anything. Stop, pour a cup of tea or coffee, sit in a chair and just close your eyes. Throw everything out of your head, feel how the warmth of the cup warms your hands, giving you its warmth. Now this cup is on your side, a kind of lifeline from the cold cold of your problems, and tea will help you gather strength and get everything done.
- Problems are different, sometimes it seems that you were deceived, that you were not given the happiness you wanted, that your loved one left you or was fired from your job. My heart is breaking with pain and my rent bill is haunting me. But perhaps this is your chance, not your problem? Some troubles are actually a chance, for example, find a better paying job, or meet true love, someone who will value you more than anything in the world, love and protect you. Just learn to accept problems, considering at least both sides, negative and positive. Then they won't be so scary for you.
- Life is a game. By taking it completely seriously, you only make it more difficult. Let this expression guide you through life, a difficult conference is at hand, let it become a race, what if you win?
- Think less. If you cannot escape from bad thoughts or you realize that you are making yourself more negative, then stop thinking, occupy yourself with something that fills your thoughts. When one thing is done, take on another. The point is not to think, but to do. And laugh more, negative thoughts turn to dust when they hear the sound of laughter, laugh at problems or at least smile, this will give you strength to fight.
In addition to everything mentioned above, it is worth emphasizing two more surefire ways to improve your perception of the world and find harmony: sports and yoga. Sport helps produce happiness hormones and normalize health, and yoga is considered your best friend in finding balance and tranquility; thanks to it, you will learn to readjust and calm down in time even in the most difficult situations.
