Want to trade in your chaotic life for the peace and serenity that you deserve?
Let’s talk about ways to trade in your chaotic life and make your world more beautiful…one small step at a time.
You can find peace among the chaos-start inside first
How many times have you walked into a beautiful space and thought “This is no good, I can’t stand this peace and serenity“? I’m betting; never. In the past few years we have all lived through the chaos and nightmare that has been unfolding around us. The lockdowns, war, political unrest, and absolute fear-mongering from our media makes me certain that most people are ready for some peace. Why not trade in your chaotic life for one of calmness and peace?
We cannot continue to feel anxiety and panic for long periods and think that it is going to be okay. It isn’t okay to always be living full of adrenalin and fear. We have extreme mental health issues among all groups of people today and we must make positive changes to ourselves and to environment to start experiencing the joy that we truly deserve.
Now, I understand that some people may be living in circumstances that are very difficult to change and if you are on the edge of a breakdown or feeling too overwhelmed, I suggest seeking help from professionals.
I believe that we do have control of our own thoughts and actions. We should start our journey by working on our self first and foremost. Address any underlying physical or mental health concerns. Get real with your health. It can effect your life tremendously when we push our own health issues under the rug. Sometimes, anxiety, panic or depression can come from a much deeper place. Take care of you.
Here are nine FREE things to do that can bring calm into your life right now.
Positive self talk– this is probably the easiest and most important way to turn your life around in a matter of days. Simply speaking to yourself in a way that is dignified, kind and loving will start to sound normal and become a regular routine. Maybe, you didn’t hear many kind words as a child and it may be hard at first. Just keep practicing. Look in the mirror each day and give yourself a pat on the back by saying things like “great job”, “I knew you could do it”, and “you look great today”. If you do this each time you feel like judging yourself, you will change that negative habit into a positive one. Great job, by the way.
Be around people that make you feel good – make a conscious decision to surround yourself with people that care about you and lift you up. If someone doesn’t do this, just walk away. We choose to stay around people that are nasty because we can sometimes feel bad about making a decision that might hurt someone else’s feelings. Take your feelings into account and create some space from that negative person. You will be happier. I promise.
Start moving your body – when we decide to move our body in a way that we normally wouldn’t move, it can be kind of terrifying. If you have spent months sitting around watching TV or playing video games due to the lockdown, life got a little bit too comfortable. You have to shake it up! Any type of movement will do. I like to incorporate little things into my day. Dancing is my favorite. It takes little effort but creates the most amazing feeling and is an actual workout. Maybe learn to juggle or get a pedal bike and ride around the block. It doesn’t have to be much. Just move.
Eat the best diet you can eat – we all know how easy it is to just grab something and go. We live in a world of junk food, fast food and energy drinks (including coffee). I think the best thing we can do is have some self awareness and look at how we feel after we eat certain foods. Do you want a nap after a big cheeseburger and shake? Who doesn’t? Some foods just don’t do good things to our bodies. We owe it to ourselves to look at what we put into our mouths. Sometimes we eat comfort foods and that’s okay. Everything in moderation. I am not suggesting any particular diet. Pick one that feels good to you. There are a million choices out there. Choose the foods that make you feel good inside. Start cooking at home more too. Have a positive relationship with your food and enjoy every bite.
Be careful what media, books, movies and music you consume – we consume far too much junk on TV, the radio and the computer. I wouldn’t waste another minute on this stuff especially if it puts you in a bad mood, turns you into a vegetable for hours or contributes to bad habits like eating an entire tray of brownies. If you were born in the 70’s, like me, we grew up absolutely loving whatever was coming on the TV because it was a novelty. You had one hour a few times a week where there was real quality stuff on the tube. Just kidding. 🙂 M*A*S*H, All in the Family, Happy Days and Gilligan’s Island were some of our family favorites. When I think about it, the shows weren’t that good but the commercials were awesome! We bought into all the hype that TV was selling us. Fast forward to today where everything can be paused, skipped and deleted and you never need to watch another commercial again. I feel like we have the best options today as there are a million YouTube channels with quality content that improve your life. This is a great idea. Instead of sitting around watching other people live out there ridiculous lives, why not learn something? I don’t know if cooking is your thing or art is a passion but focus on stuff that matters and don’t get sucked into the ads or the BS. Shut that stuff off. Oh, and the news is so skewed that I would skip that crap, too. They are lying to you anyways.
Surround your space with things you love – have you ever come across a thrift store painting that just made you smile? How about that little plant you have on the window sill in the cutest painted pot? Maybe you love those beaded hippie curtains from the neighbor or a floral wallpaper your grandma handed down to you? Whatever makes you smile and keeps you feeling calm and warm and fuzzy should be surrounding you in your home. I am an artist and I absolutely love collecting fellow artist’s work. We always barter art. I am currently looking at my favorite pieces given to me by two glorious artists. They have some of my stuff too. It feels good to stare at these paintings and think of those friends. Take some time to create a lovely space that makes you feel good.
Be in nature as much as you can – nowadays, even in most cities, there is a refuge for you to spend a few minutes in nature everyday. You can take a walk down a path in the forest. Maybe check out a local blooming flower garden. How about sitting by a creek, a pond, a lake or a river and watch the water rush by? Spend as much time as you can outside in the sun. You need vitamin D. You need fresh air. You need to breath and relax. Turn off the headphones and listen to the birds. Keep your phone at home and just walk without interruption. A few minutes a day will change you. If you can meditate or do some tai chi in the park, even better. Take time to be in a natural space just for you. No distractions. Maybe even enjoy a silent walk with someone you love. A rainy day can also be beautiful ( if you want it to be). Get outside and thrive.
Drink water – in many countries (and some areas here in Canada) water is scarce and very hard to obtain. Water is vital. It is so important to hydrate and many people never really get hydrated fully. If you have a chance to drink clean water, do it. We are made up of water. Where I am living, water is abundant and I feel blessed but sad at the same time. I wish I could send rivers to the people that currently do not get enough to drink. Watch out for the chlorine and fluoride in the water too. This stuff is bad news.
Talk to someone that you trust when you are feeling overwhelmed – if life gets completely overwhelming, you are scared or feeling sad, you have to find someone that you can trust to talk to. It may be a relative, a teacher, a pastor, a friend, a nurse, or even an operator on 911. Try not to remain in a dark place for too long before reaching out and asking someone to listen. Many people sit alone day in and day out in sadness and depression and never reach out for anybody. Sometimes, the simple act of heading to the store (to talk to that cute guy that always makes you blush), or to see a specific person that cracks corny jokes and makes you laugh ( the funny lady from the gas station) can shake you out of your funk and sadness. If you need to talk, you have to reach out. If you are feeling completely hopeless, you may want to speak with a nurse so you won’t be alone in your journey. Nobody likes being depressed and we all deserve to live a life of joy. Take good care of your self and open up to someone. You can do this.
Suicide is no joke. If you need some help, please call these hotlines or google the nearest hotline in your area. Talk Suicide in Canada, 988Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the USA , UK Sane Hotline , Australian Suicide Hotline, New Zealand Hotline, South African Hotline
In Conclusion
I hope you can use any or all of these nine tools to help you create a more peaceful and unchaotic life. You deserve to be happy, to be thriving, and to be healthy. If you can think of anything else I could add to this blog, please let me know. I think if we surround ourselves with like-minded individuals, we will start creating a world that is more loving and supportive and trade in our chaotic life for one of peace and tranquility. We don’t need division. We need each other. It does start with you first and foremost. Go out there and enjoy all of the simple things in life that make you smile. Be well. Take good care. Shannon
