Two Little Things That Guarantee Your Peace of Mind
Deal with your mind in a more easy and effective way.
One of my favorite quotes comes from the French philosopher Blaise Pascal. The quote reads, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Seriously? Sit quietly in a room alone? In reality, we don’t want to sit quietly for a second. We want to run at the speed of light and outshine everyone around us. We want to achieve more and more in the shortest possible time. Forget about everyone else, take writers, for example. Yes, even writers are in a constant race.
They are desperate to publish the next bestselling book and be featured in the top magazines. They desire to give more interviews, Ted Talks, and influence thousands of people, creating so-called value for others. Writers are no saints, of course, and they cannot just ignore the temptation of achieving fame and financial success.
Writers think what they write is a masterpiece, and for that, they deserve all the attention and recognition.
All of us — like writers — are in constant mental discomfort because we are running an impossible race to become the hero of other’s life. In business or life — we all want to become influencers. We always seek validation from the mass. We want people to follow and praise us no matter what we do.
Everyone in this tech-and-media-driven world has become crazy. Crazy for attention — crazy to influence others — crazy to prove that we matter more than anyone else.
But it has a huge opportunity cost. When our mind is in constant competition and race, we hardly experience the beauty of life. Our minds get clouded by unnecessary things and, eventually, peace and happiness disappear from our life.
So, how can we balance our life and ensure our peace of mind?
Well, the answer is we need to more self-aware. And the following two things will help you do that. If practiced regularly, they will increase your self-awareness and guarantee your peace of mind.
Disarm Yourself and Be Grounded
Disarming yourself begins when you shut your phone down and leave it alone. Yes, that’s the first step with countless benefits. Do that for a few hours every day.
When you turn your phone off, you separate yourself from millions of distractions: social media apps, emails, calls, notifications, nonsense recommended videos, endless scrolling, and more.
Your smartphone forces you to get stuck in a notification-based dopamine hit. You become the victim and cannot control your time and mind. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Whattsapp, and all the other attention-robbing apps encourage you to compare your life with others. As a result, you end up in depression, feeling that everyone around you is happy and you are missing a good life. It creates a terrible impact on your life, both personal and professional.
When you turn your phone off for a few hours every day, you take control of your life into your own hands.
The next thing you need to do is to take a walk outside to observe real people. It can be a morning walk for thirty minutes to one hour. Or, you can walk in the evening. It’s a great way to find your mystic self. Put a comfortable attire and start walking.
Walk gently across the streets and see the world going by. See all the different people of various professions and try to put their shoes on. It’s like a game. See a random man shopping, observe his behavior. Imagine that you are that person. Now try to understand his life from your observation.
Is he having a good day today? Is he smiling? What are the things he is purchasing? For whom? Kids? Wife? Or, is he a lonely person, shopping to meet his demand?
This experiment will help you to understand the human beings around you. They are like you — need peace and happiness and have dreams for themselves and their kids. They are in their own pursuit of happiness just like you.
Now try to think about your life. No, you are not a special case, and for god’s sake, stop overrating yourself. You are not born for greatness or something — that your self-help gurus told you in an intimate session. If you want to inspire yourself, you can tell your mind that we all are born to live a happy and peaceful life. And it begins when you connect with the ocean of life around you, not excluding you for separating yourself from them.
Don’t always look at the millionaires and their fancy lifestyles. Look down, be grounded, and observe random people. Don’t lose your life with your unhealthy pursuit for more.
So, every day keep aside your fancy gadgets and take a walk to observe and appreciate life around you. Find yourself in the crowd.
Empty Your Head Before Going to Bed
No, I am not telling you that you should lie down on your bed and close your eyes. That way, you will just fall asleep soon. On the contrary, you need to sit at your desk quietly. Now, take a pen and a notepad in your hands and write down your thoughts.
It’s the time when you see yourself in a different mirror. Judge your own actions and the dreams and goals you are following. It’s a time when you critically dissect yourself to stay on the right path.
Writing your thoughts down before going to bed helps you a lot. It enables you to concentrate on the things that matter and find solutions to your problems easily. You can also better organize yourself for the next day.
If you can build a habit of thinking just thirty minutes before sleeping and note down the crucial ideas, solutions, or thoughts in your notepads, I bet you will have a better sleep at night and, therefore, peace of mind.
It works because your mind is loaded with tons of issues but finds no place to empty those burdens. So, when you think about your life, problems, and prospects, sitting in a quiet room at the day-end and write them down on paper, you feel better. It is an effective way to unload your problems and free your mind from overthinking. It enhances your peace of mind.
So, sit quietly in a room alone for a few minutes every day. Take a notepad and unload your thoughts and dissect your present actions to achieve peace of mind.
Final Thoughts
Life is not about how much money you earn or how successful you become in people’s eyes. Life is more about living with harmony and peace of mind.
You know yourself better. You know your good, bad, and ugly. So, think about your actions before it is too late.
When you set aside all the distractions for a few hours every day to observe the world around you and think deeply about yourself — you find peace and happiness.
Live a happy and peaceful life. It’s easy if you try.
Thank you for reading.
You may read my following articles on Mind Cafe to know more about life and happiness