“Learn to be calm, and you will always be happy.”
– Paramahansa Yogananda
I have written many articles about inner peace and explained its meaning since most people don’t know what it really means.
I received an email from a reader some time ago. In it, she wrote that she doesn’t want inner peace because she wants to be active and alive.
She was afraid that calmness might make her passive and take all the fun from her life. She also said that she preferred to keep her mind restless and very active, not calm.
This way of thinking shows a lack of understanding of what inner peace is.
Inner peace is not a state of passivity and would certainly not make life dull. On the contrary, it will make you more conscious, alive, and happy. It would help you live life more fully.
What Is Inner Peace?
What does inner peace mean, and how can we define it?
It is a state of emotional and mental peace and calmness. It means being at peace with yourself and the world and enjoying inner harmony and balance.
Here is how Wikipedia defines it:
“Inner peace, or peace of mind, refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being ‘at peace’ is considered by many to be healthy and the opposite of being stressed or anxious.”
Here are more definitions of what is inner peace:
- Inner peace means that there is no overthinking and too much analyzing of every situation.
- It is a state of psychological or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors.
- Being always peaceful refers to a deliberate state of peace, happiness, and contentment in everyday life.
- It means no running from one thought to another, constantly ruminating about some past incident, no constant dwelling on hurts and what people said or did.
- Inner peace means tranquility, poise, serenity, and quietness.
How to Find the Inner Peace within You?
How to find inner peace? The simple way is to empty your mind of unnecessary thoughts, fears and worries and to stop overthinking.
True, it is not easy, but it is achievable. This of course, requires training the mind to be Calm.
The mind is like a room crammed with a lot of stuff. When you empty it of meaningless and restless thoughts, fears, and worries, what remains is a peaceful space.
This can be done with concentration exercises, meditation and mindfulness. As you go on practicing your mind become, calm, peaceful, clear and focused.
Unclutter Your Mind
Suppose your room is crammed with furniture, books, papers, and a lot of junk. There is no free space, and you can hardly move in the room.
After living in this room for some time, you get used to it, no matter how uncomfortable and unpleasant it is. You might dislike it sometimes but do nothing to clean or rearrange your room.
This is exactly the state of your mind. It’s crammed with thoughts, fears, worries, and endless thinking. There is no room for new, different thoughts. It is in a state of tension and stress, constantly jumping from one thought to another, like a butterfly hopping from one flower to another.
Imagine that one day you decide to clean your room.
You take everything out of your room, emptying it completely. Now the room seems very big without all the stuff in it.
You clean and wash it, and then put back only the essential stuff. How do you feel now when you are in your room? Isn’t there an exhilarating feeling of joy? There is a lot of space, and you can move freely and find everything easily.
Suddenly, you realize that you live in a big room, and this gives you a great feeling of joy and power. You realize that you have been living in a limited and cramped environment. Now, there is more air and more space, and you can move and walk freely in the room.
Did you lose anything of importance in this process?
No, you lost absolutely nothing. You only gained a lot.
It is the same with your mind. When you empty it of unnecessary thoughts, fears, and worries, it becomes free, and you enjoy a sense of inner peace.
You need to stop cramming your mind with unnecessary thoughts, which limit you and waste your time and energy. You need to unclutter your mind.
Inner Peace Appears when You Empty Your Mind
Inner peace is like a clean and spacious room, empty of unnecessary, old, or broken stuff.
After emptying your mind of unnecessary and negative thoughts, it will be filled with happiness and inner peace. How do you get these results? You can get them by practicing meditation.
You become more alive when you remove all the unnecessary and useless stuff from your mind. The negative and meaningless thoughts would be gone, and you begin to see everything more clearly like you never did before. It is like taking away a curtain that distorted your vision.
When the mind calms down there is mental calmness, emotional equilibrium, optimism, and mindfulness. This of course affects the physical health in positive way.
I hope that these words made it a little clearer what inner peace is and how to be peaceful. You can find practical steps in the other articles on this website, as weel as in my books.
Resources and Quotes about Inner Peace
If you are interested in reading more articles about inner peace and learning how to find it, you might like reading the other articles I have written about this topic.
If you wish to achieve inner peace and enjoy it in daily life, I highly recommend reading my book on this topic.
When the restless activity of your mind slows down and thoughts stop rushing like waves on a windy day, then you will start getting glimpses of the sweet taste of inner peace.
“The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.”
“First, keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.”
More Quotes
Inner Peace Quotes and Sayings that Calm the Mind
Peace of Mind Quotes and Phrases
Image source – DepositPhotos
About the Author
Remez Sasson is the founder of SuccessConsciousness.com, a leading resource for personal growth and self-transformation. With decades of experience in self-improvement and meditation, Remez has empowered countless individuals worldwide to unlock their potential.
Join him on an extraordinary journey to self-improvement, success, positivity, inner peace, meditation, clarity, and personal mastery through his articles, books, and the comprehensive resources on his website.