Finding My Peace

Nonfiction inspiration about staying in peace in a world of chaos.

What inspires me to find my way back to the place of peace in a world filled with madness? From the waking moment, there are millions of negative attacks that can cause me to spiral into a world of darkness. Going deeper into the black hole that feels like quicksand, sucking me down into no escape. I just turn on the news each day and it doesn’t take very long to get there.

It seems, on a daily basis, I can find multiple reasons to want to run away to the nearest vacant island and hibernate. Political going’s on have the entire country in upheaval, running scared and filled with rage. Facebook has become a new social world and a place where if you express your opinions, you can lose friends or find new enemies. I decided to zip my lips instead of voicing my opinions. Politicians and media are turning our world into a battle ground showing no signs of resolution. No peace there!

Too much chaos up there on Capitol Hill and the crazy battle between parties goes on, has been for too long, which makes everything seem hopeless and impossible. I can really lose my peace when I start focusing on the events of the news. Although sometimes it is necessary to watch, because what they do up there has a disastrous domino effect on our lives. Too much at stake. I try to watch what concerns me and turn it the minute I feel the emotional explosion. All I can do is hope for the best and pray at this point.

What control do we really have over anything they do or how they behave? How many other things can steal our peace and replace it with anger and fear?

The phone rings again, I pick it up and it is someone else asking for money-money I don’t have. I push them off another month or give them a minimum just to make them leave me alone for a little while. Then I try to move on, still attempting to maintain the staggering amount of peace I have left.

It is now 7am and I am about to leave for work after checking the traffic. Good to know what to expect so I don’t hit any roadside turbulence. Looks a little clear so I hit the road quickly. Rushing into work a little late and just hoping I get there before the boss man. Trying to get my work station up and looking like it’s been busy for a while, but the stupid thing decided to be a little late also. Running very slow it takes me ten minutes to get the desktop up. Trying to get into email to make sure there are no sudden surprises, but the server is killing me today.

Glancing to the window across from me, I notice my boss watching me from his office. Well, it’s not even nine o’clock and the stress is coming at me fast and fierce. I decide I am just going to take the bullet when I go into our ten o’clock meeting instead of trying to come up with an excuse for being late. Figured I’ll just make it up during lunch or after work, if I’m not fired first.

Waking up every morning is the beginning of the unexpected. Loss of control can jerk me around like a rag doll hitting a brick wall. I try to remember it can make my day the struggle I allow it to be. I put my feet on the ground and hesitate each day, take a deep breath and push myself up from the bed. From that moment it’s all a blur, but how it affects me is where I can either fall into the trap of life at its worse or remain in the peaceful bliss. Life happens.

So what do I do to leap over the obstacles in my way? How do I stay strong in a world with so many unexpected events that could make or break me? What I have learned is that stress is a killer. It can cause diseases, heart problems, anxiety, and it will take you on the path of one continuous downfall after another. It leads to an open door of destruction and there is no going back.

Falling into the trap of our negative world and its cohorts can drag us into a downward spiral where we become angry, outraged, and behave like them. There is so much stress going on in the world and, for health reasons, I need to take it more seriously since I am approaching my twilight years. Most of the time the stress I’ve experienced wasn’t even worth the anguish and health problems, because life always went on. Some things aren’t even an influence in my life any longer. and it was senseless to have let it affect me so much.

Most of the time I don’t have any control over it anyway. Politicians will do what they want to do, mislead us, lie to us, and hide the real facts. In most cases the people that caused me stress aren’t around me anymore. I changed jobs, moved away from the poisonous atmosphere, or got through any financial hardship. I learned I make it through no matter what and it is all behind me. So what did stressing out over things really get me?

The friends that are still around me never caused me any reason to be stressed out, so there is my reason to be thankful. This is what I try to focus on now. I try to stay away from watching the news or getting into the political turmoil. What power of influence do I really have anyway? I try to do something good for someone each day, pray or talk to God, do something I enjoy, and spend time with family. Below is a list of things I do to keep my peace. Having PTSD, anxiety and depression, these things are a work in progress, but they are changing my direction.

2. I do not watch or read the news, but if I do for concern of weather or something going on that I need to follow, I tend not to believe everything said. There is not a lot I can do, so why get caught up in their personal madness and allow it to become my own? I try not to discuss my point of view on Facebook and stay away from any political news advertisements that always seem to turn out to be untruths. Avoidance has been a great tool for me that assures me of maintaining my peace.

3. I love being one with nature. Water is known to be calming and I have a lake across from my apartment just out my window. It has a fountain in the middle and trees surrounding it that absorbs any negativity and tension. I watch the sunset or sunrise, the rain or a beautiful sunny day and this has become my meditation focal point. I play soft music and mixed with my view soothes my nerve endings almost instantly and every time.

4. They say music soothes the soul. It is one of the most relaxing and mood changing tools I have found. I love spiritual, classical or instrumental music when I need to relax. I watch Reflections on TV that show scenic views from our country and world that help me view the beauty instead of any worldly turmoil. They add scripture with each video, so it helps to massage my soul. Dance, pop, or some of my favorite songs from the past energize me and help me cope with negativity. It can bring me to a moment in time that restores a happy or loving memory and reflection. Music can alter our emotions, views, and inner self.

5. I love a good self-help book. Reading one of my favorite novels or nonfiction leads me to a place of renewal, reinvention, and escape. Sitting with a good book, cup of tea or other beverage of choice, and some soft music playing or being in a quiet surrounding is one of my favorite past times. It will transpose me instantly into a different place or time.

6. Writing helps me to lose myself as well. It can be a great therapeutic tool, and also helps me to figure things out that I may be struggling with whenever I journal. I love to write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry and any of these will remove me from a stressful setting and into a calming mood. The creative flow dominates my thoughts and peace evolves.

7. Watching a good movie or favorite show with a family member or friend is something I make time for as often as I can. Sharing with someone close to me with a show we both enjoy can bring us closer, make us laugh or cry, and fulfill the quality of life.

8. I always loved to go for a drive or explore. Visiting a favorite place, sitting in a park, watching the water at the beach, or breaking up a routine day with a change of scenery will lead me on a pleasant journey. Aww the peace.

9. Going on a spiritual retreat or doing one on my own at home, helps me with renewal and reflection. Spending time with God in a deep involvement is like experiencing a rebirth. I love to find something spiritual to read, watch a motivational speaker, or meditate on prayers and God which will always be a solution for more peace in my life.

10. I love to learn and grow. I always enjoyed taking classes for self-improvement. I could fill my life with classes of everything I’m curious about, although that could take me the rest of my life.

Prayer is my number one tool. I make sure to pray daily, and as soon as I find myself in a stressful situation, I turn to Him right away — or at least I try. My plan is to make it a natural habit, like eating. If I wait too long and let the stress level escalate, it can become overpowering. Then it takes a lot more time and energy to find my peace. Sometimes it could get away from me and I can get too far lost in it. I try to do something each day, which is not always easy. Even in retirement, I have to make time in my day and put other things aside, or I feel lost.

Life and stress catapulted in my life over the past couple of years and took hold of me — I didn’t recognize myself any longer. I didn’t understand why I felt the way I did, did the things I did, or how to get back to me. It was scary and the further away from me I got, the more and more I couldn’t stand living with myself. And how do you get away from yourself? You can’t. So it became who I was, went deep, and dragged me down. I wasn’t the same person any longer, and that made me more stressed.

Slowly, I am beginning to find my way back by taking these steps and allowing myself to change. It is making a huge difference in my life. I am feeling connected to me again; I am beginning to like myself and my life. I see things around me differently and look forward to each day. It is so easy to get lost, but with faith, courage, and determination I found my way back. I’m on a new journey, one I am enjoying.

It is my only chance at life and who knows how long it will last. I never know where it will take me or what difficult challenges will come at me, like a meteor falling from the sky. I know I just have to get up each day, take a deep breath, and make that choice to be positive, treat people right, smile, and stay strong. Outside interference, negative people, world events, and other difficult challenges are hard to overcome, but I can get through them with the right kind of attitude. I put Him first in my life always, and rely on Him to carry me through. It can be difficult at times, but I make the choice to stay in peace every day.

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