How To Find Peace In An Unpeaceful World

The world is heavy, wars are being waged, propaganda spewed and sides taken. It's hard. It's hard to remain positive, it's hard to not get angry and it's hard to know the toll it's taking. It's hard when innocent lives are lost and it's hard when it's just more added onto everything else you're already dealing with in life. It's okay to struggle, but it's not okay to neglect yourself. You're important too, your life matters too and your needs matter also. Finding peace isn't about ignoring all the difficulties others face, it's not about ignoring responsibility or reason, it's about acknowledging that you can't carry all of that weight by yourself and definitely not all of the time. Life is hard already, as people we face many struggles, and usually we overcome them, and as the saying goes 'this too shall pass'. I believe that we will see world peace in our lifetime, I believe that we will see people liberated from oppression, starvation, genocide and dictatorships. It's just a hard road to get there. So how do we find peace in the meantime?

Whilst finding inner peace within ourselves will differ from person to person, these are a few ways in which you can try, and if they don't help you find peace, I hope they at least offer some sense of calm, help you feel a little lighter, or at least help you get through the day.

• start off your morning with meditation.

• Get out in nature

• take some time away from social media, the internet etc'

• go swimming

• take a hot bath with salts or bubbles

• exercise

Start off your morning with meditation Morning routines in general help with things like discipline, motivation, and setting the right tone to the start of your day. Things like making your bed, brushing your teeth straight away, help to boost your mornings because even if you are struggling, they're the easiest tasks to do (in general) and no matter if you do anything else that day, or spend the whole day curled up, you've achieved something. I understand that in depressive moods, brushing your teeth is a hard thing to do, because you don't care, so establishing it as part of your routine on your better days may just ease the difficulty of it on your bad days. MAY. Adding meditation to the start of your day allows you to think clearly, clear out negative thoughts, think, plan, set your intention and generally just relaxes your shoulders. Some people use guided meditations, others prefer to use certain background sounds, such as rain, whales or calming music. I like to pair it with aromatherapy and use incense to help set intention to my day, and crystals to help me achieve my set goals. Some days all I want to do is protect myself from negative energies, other days I want to take over the world. I'm kidding, sort of. But some days are heavier than others and these are some of the tools I prefer to use to help lighten my load. I'll actually start a youtube playlist of guided meditations to share that i've found from creators and anything else I find useful. Some please do check out my youtube channel here https://www.youtube.com/@ShatteredDynastyEmporium.

Get out into nature Regularly being out in nature has been scientifically proven to have many benefits. These include: stress reduction, reduction in depression, reduction in anxiety, and immunity health among a few other benefits. The Japanese have a practice called 'Shinrin-Yoku' which means 'Forest bathing', it's about spending time in forests or green spaces and harnessing natures healing power. You can pair this with exercise too as even a slow walk around a park can have these benefits. Nature has a way of providing us with everything we need to survive, to heal, to live and often these go unutilized. Spending a couple of hours (many studies cite 2 hours) in nature, surrounds you with sounds, smells and textures you don't get at home. It's a 3-in-1 sensory overhaul that often we didn't know we needed. The wind whistling through the trees, the birds chirping, the smell of fresh wild garlic or damp fresh earth, the feel of trees, flowers or a flowing stream, even the taste of wild berries if you're knowledgeable enough to confirm they're edible more than once, can provide so many benefits. If you struggle to leave the house, visualising in meditation may offer some relief, if paired with a natural scented incense (the smell of hinoki is my favourite scent in the world!) and nature sounds playing in the background.

Taking time away from social media & the internet

There isn't a single person who wouldn't benefit from this, unless of course they don't use it at all. Social media often shows us a harsh and distorted view of the world. It's often unbearably negative and can often be triggering. I am not a social media person, If I didn't have businesses to post about, I wouldn't use it at all. I'm aware many people make a living from it, and good for them, but social media can be incredibly negative and induce stress, depression, anxiety and feelings of low self worth. Taking some set time away, be it imposing a daily limit, or taking a certain day off, can ease the burdens it often places on you and reduces the harsh impacts it can take. I will be taking Saturday and Sunday off in future, scheduling any posts that may be due on those days.

Go swimming

This may not be for you if you're a swim-phobe, but if not this can be highly beneficial. Not only does it offer a minimal-impact, joint friendly, whole body workout, but swimming has also been found to reduce stress, release endorphins and promotes relaxation from being in water. Swimming is also beneficial for neurodivergents, such as those with ADHD or autism. Wild swimming has been found to be particularly beneficial, especially if the water is cold, but not cold enough to induce shock. If you can't wild swim, people have been replicating this by taking cold plunges (or ice baths) or even splashing cold water on their face for immediate effect. Cold water on your face can also help your skin, but primarily it's best use in this case is the activation of the tragus nerve and helps reduce stress and anxiety. I would recommend avoid overly deep lakes or reservoirs, especially if you're not a strong or confident swimmer. Swimming in a pool, as they're usually blue can also help calm you as blue is a calming colour, unless a group of old ladies decide they don't like you swimming the lanes and make sure to swim in front of you just as you get close to them, then it's not calming at all.

Take a hot bath + bath salts or bubbles

Hot baths and scented bath salts are my favourite self-care treat! The hot water helps relax aching muscles, reduce stress and helps you sleep better. Epsom salts are great for muscular or joint pain, from exercising or arthritis and is boosted by the heat of the water which further aids blood circulation. A nice warm bath can also help calm your nervous system, especially if the salts are scented in a calming aroma, such as lavender, clary sage or bergamot. If you're already sleepy, please avoid long hot baths and stay away from Lavender scents, you do not want to fall asleep in there! Natural salts are also beneficial for skin, particularly those who suffer from dry or itchy skin conditions due to magnesium & sulphur content. You can pair your aromatherapeutic hot bath with some relaxing nature or rain sounds for the extra bonus.

Exercise!

Everyone knows exercising is good for you physically, but it's also been shown to be good for you mentally and emotionally. Studies show that regular exercise, especially when paired with some of the above options, can boost your overall wellbeing, reduce anxiety, depression, cortisol levels, boost energy, brain health, cognitive functions and better sleep! All of these have knock on effects that benefit you in other ways. It's recommended that at least 30 minutes of exercise, at least 3 times a week is beneficial. It doesn't even need to be strenuous exercise, you can do that walk in nature, that swim, go hiking, or if you do want more strenuous exercise, calisthenics and strength training are not only great exercise but the benefit of getting stronger or losing weight can give a huge boost to your self confidence. Who doesn't want a dose of endorphins and endocannabinoids (these are naturally produced by the human body and are not to be confused with the effects of cannabis).

These methods will not magically solve all of your problems, or make everything evil go away, but these are excellent methods for reclaiming your inner peace and finding some sense of normalcy in this crazy time. These are methods that I personally have used and that I always come back to when I need to and whenever I'm able to. Reading a good book is something I also love to do, I don't often get the chance or the motivation to do that, but I do find they have quite the emotional impact, which is good if it's a calm book, but probably not the best idea if it's stress inducing or a horror. I hope you find even one of these suggestions useful, and I'd love to hear about if they help you in any way.