The concept of protecting your peace is a form of self-care and an essential practice in today’s fast-paced society. Protecting your peace can be defined as the practice of safeguarding your mental and emotional well-being and protecting it from negative influences. Achieving and protecting your inner peace does not mean that you will not face hardships and life’s many challenges…that is simply unrealistic. Protecting your peace means that you will find ways to remain calm amid the storm that is life’s challenges and encourages you to be mindful of not allowing others or life events to control your emotions. Do you find yourself wondering how you can make protecting your peace a sustainable practice in your life? Read along for tips on how to make your inner peace a priority.
1) Identifying What Can Impact Our Peace
Our inner peace can be impacted negatively by people in our life, social media, the news, or by various life challenges. I feel it is important to take the time to highlight a few of these potential triggers and discuss the ways that they can negatively impact our peace. First, let’s discuss the news. While the news can be important to keep up with for various reasons, often it is a constant outpouring of negativity and ongoings in the world that we have little to no control over. Overconsumption of news can lead to increased anxiety, feelings of helplessness, and feelings of hopelessness.
Second, let’s discuss social media. Constant scrolling through the many social media apps out there can lead to what I refer to as “comparison culture” where you find yourself constantly comparing your life to those you see online. The truth is, we often only see the “highlight reel” of people’s lives on social media and don’t see the many hardships they may be experiencing behind closed doors. This leads us to romanticize other people’s lives and increases anxiety, feelings of insecurity, and hopelessness. Set limits for your news and social media consumption.
In regards to people in our lives, some people can be referred to as “energy drainers”. These individuals may constantly find something to complain about, remain involved in some kind of drama, continuously put you down, diminish your struggles, and may take advantage of you. Surrounding yourself with people that are constantly focused on the negatives and who treat you poorly is a significant threat to your peace. Be mindful of who you allow into your life because the company that you choose to keep can greatly impact your emotional and mental well-being. Let go of negative people in your life or if you are unable to entirely let them go, find ways to distance yourself and set healthy boundaries to safeguard your well-being.
2) Increasing Self-Awareness
To find ways to protect your peace, you must first be honest with yourself about what is negatively impacting you in your life. You have to identify what interferes with and disrupts your inner peace to make changes surrounding these triggers. Do you notice a feeling of dread in your stomach when you have to speak to a certain person? Do you begin to feel increased irritability in a particular environment? Does your heart beat faster when a certain topic is discussed? Do you feel incredibly overwhelmed when you watch too much news or doom-scroll social media? These are just a few examples of questions to spark introspection into what may be impacting you negatively at this time. Pay attention to what answers come to mind automatically as you read each question…this is the first step in identifying your triggers so that you can determine how to protect your peace.
3) Setting and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
Boundaries can be defined as the limits you create for yourself that determine what is acceptable for you and what you are comfortable with. Boundaries can be set in various areas of our life including emotional, physical, sexual, workplace, material possessions, financial, and time. Personal boundaries are at the root of a well-balanced life. Without boundaries, people can quickly lose themselves in their work, relationships, and familial obligations. Boundaries protect you from overextending yourself and encourage you to preserve your mental and emotional well-being and inner peace. Boundary setting can be tricky and at times, those in our life may not respect the boundaries we are attempting to set and maintain. Need assistance with understanding how to set healthy boundaries in your life? Check out our blog titled “Boundary Setting for Beginners“.
4) Making Time for What Brings You Joy
Being mindful of what negatively impacts your mental and emotional well-being and making necessary and sustainable changes to reduce that negative impact is a primary focus for protecting your peace. However, protecting your peace can also be rooted in prioritizing time for yourself to engage in activities that foster happiness and fill your cup. Self-care comes in many various forms including diaphragmatic belly breathing exercises, taking a walk, meditation, drawing, enjoying a hug with a loved one, petting an animal, and more. Pay attention to how you feel physically and emotionally after engaging in a self-care activity that you enjoy. You may notice decreased muscle tension, increased energy, and improved mental clarity after engaging in a self-care activity that leaves you feeling refreshed and recharged. Find a way to incorporate self-care into your schedule and permit yourself to honor that time.
Protecting your peace is a lifelong journey and requires continuous intentionality and effort. The concept of protecting your peace includes the willingness to acknowledge what in your life is negatively impacting you, making changes to safeguard or distance yourself from these negative impacts, and finding healthy ways to sustain the changes. Letting go of people in our life or things that are a constant source of negativity can be incredibly challenging. However, your inner peace and well-being must come first, and doing so will lead to a happier and more fulfilling life that is worth truly living. Do you need help with identifying what peace can look like in your life and how to achieve it? You do not have to walk this journey alone. Our counselors are ready to walk alongside you and support you. Reach out today for a free 15-minute consultation to see if we would be a good fit for you!