Peace of mind is one of the best gifts that you can give to yourself and to those you love. It is worth the effort to attain and once you make it a habit and natural state of your being, it only takes minimal maintenance to keep.

Things that distract the mind can come from inside our own head and from outside sources. It is definitely possible to have peace of mind in even the worst of circumstances which has been proven by some of the greatest people in history. These people, such as the apostle Paul, Nelson Mandela, and Mother Teresa to name a few found peace of mind even while in prison or surrounded by the most depressing surroundings.

Having said that, most of us are not in such dire straits and are able to have a good bit of effect on our physical states. So one of the best ways to attain peace is to tidy up and beautify our surroundings. Get rid of anything that is of no use to you and simply is getting in your way. If that is your spouse than that is another discussion though!

Organize your files, arrange your bills so you aren't concerned about missing a payment, find a place for everything, label drawers, put away out of season clothes, and think of new more efficient ways that you can use your space and what you have. Sometimes we get so used to how we have a room arranged that we don't even realize it would really work better if it was set up differently. Trying rearranging it. You can always put it back.

Your physical space can include quite a few places. Each room of your home (including closets and the outside), your place of work, your car, or even places that you frequent a lot. Once you have that all tidied up you can start to tidy up your life. Perhaps you are involved in too many things. If you over commit yourself, you aren't giving something your best. Be loving to those activities/organizations you care about and commit to only the ones you have time and passion for.

Another part of tidying up your life involves people. Some people are meant to only be in our life for a season. If you aren't getting joy from being with someone that isn't giving you a paycheck, you are completely in your rights to limit them in your life. This can include family members. Some people have to make whole new families because their own family can be too hurtful to be around. Make a quality choice and give attention to those people who bring you joy.

The next step is where it gets down to the inner work. We are now dealing with your mind space. For me my biggest roadblock to peace of mind was my negative self talk. It was relentless. It would attack me at all times of the day and night. I had tried different therapists, drugs, and even alcohol for a while but it kept right on going. Negative self talk should be dealt with like a misbehaving child. You are the parent, it is the child and you are in control.

Sometimes the negative self talk is coming from an honest place that needs to be dealt with. Again for me, I had to begin to forgive myself and others and then just let it go. Before I would resist the self talk. As I did this I was giving it attention and when you focus on something you give it strength and off it goes. I began to learn to forgive myself, acknowledge whatever the thought was without giving it any attention or feeling, and then watch it dissipate and float away. This has been a process and after a few months of keeping at it, it is very easy to deal with now and I can say this negativity is all but gone.

One good tool to use for clearing your mind of bad thoughts and refreshing yourself is to have a go to thought. Think of someone or something that you love that puts a smile on your face whenever you think on it. For me that is my daughter. Now place that person in your favorite situation or place. My go to thought is my daughter at the beach. If I have a bad thought, I simply say to myself, “Next slide.” Instantly an image of my daughter and I having fun at the beach comes to me and I am again at peace.

Another great tool for peace of mind is to distract yourself with something else. This can be anything that brings you joy from walking in nature, gardening, playing with a pet, or listening to music. Sometimes for me it is even doing laundry or getting dishes out of the sink.

One of the best tools for peace of mind is to do something for someone else. Often when we are having a bad day in our head it is because we are too focused on our own stuff and we need to branch out. You can volunteer, call an old friend, say something extra nice to the clerk at the store, or one of my favorites is to pay for the person's order behind me in a drive thru. The last one is usually less than $5 or $6 and if you do it out of love can put you in a great mood quick. I mean how much would you pay for an instant mood up lifter?

No matter how you do it getting peace of mind will bring you benefits in all parts of your life and will give you joy. If you aren't used to feeling that way it can take some practice, but before you know it you will be a pro.

With peace, love, joy, and abundance

Pete