Inner Peace (from my previous blog ilovesin.com)

These underwater photographs gives me a sense of peace and it makes me want to drown in beauty. Since the beginning of the year I have been trying to attain a sense of peace within myself and came to realize that the answer lies in the kind of thoughts I hold in my mind. It hasnt been an easy task but I feel like Ive made progress. The following have been some things that have helped me tremendously in the past lil bit & I feel that its very important for me to share it with you.

-Make a list of the things you want and dont want in your life. On the WANT list you could write something along the lines of: positive ppl, supportive friends, financial success, respect, loyality…etc. On your DONT WANT list you could write things like: unfaithfulness, drama, violence… this list will help you define your boundries which will lead us to the next tip.

- Be aware of what you let into your life. In order to do this you have to be able to know where you stand in your own life & be able to realize that we have more control over what we accept into it. You teach ppl how to treat you. The only way someone can intimidate you, make you feel worthless, make you feel unlovable is if you let them. We all have our insecurities… our vulnerabilities but letting other ppl play with those shows a lack of respect for ourselves. Refusing to let toxic and negative ppl into our lives is one of the most rewarding things we can do for ourselves. its not an easy thing to do at first bcos we have our reasons to be attached to these things but once you learn that you have this control you’ll wonder why you let yourself feel so helpless in the first place.

-Do things for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with spoiling yourself every once in a while. Its important to take care of ourselves in order to have the energy to take care of others. Buy yourself your favorite flowers or take time off to go enjoy a nice facial or massage at the spa. Find things you love to do and just do them.

-Don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. Of course the past and the future are important. We learn from the past and we plan for the future but being stuck in either one can take away from being happy in the present moment. The past doesnt exist anymore and the future is yet to come so why focus on them.

-Learn to let go. I find that being attached to something whether it be a person, a thought, a thing…. really keeps me from being at peace with myself. Ive lost a lot of valuable things but what can i really do about it? All I can do is learn from it and give it a kiss goodbye. Ive held on to relationships that dont make me happy bcos i was scared to let go but if you think about it what can really be worse than being somewhere that gives you no happiness? You THINK you love this person so you stay, you THINK the camera you lost is irreplaceable, you THINK your friends wont like you if you say no… again it all comes down to your thoughts. it’s a huge waste of energy to hold onto a belief or an object of affection. Once you’re able to let things go you’ll realize what a big difference it makes

-Realize that life is a journey not a destination. We’re always looking off in the distance convincing ourselves that we will be happy once we make more money or if we get the job we want or find true love. But the fun of it all comes in the steps we take to get there. Enjoy yourself and remind yourself not to take life so seriously.

-Yoga. It’s more than just stretching and holding odd & uncomfortable positions. Yoga is the union between your mind and body. Practicing yoga helps you understand that your mind and body arent seperate from each other. In order to maintian certain poses like dancers pose you need to come to a place of balance in your mind. Once you break this focus and start thinking random thoughts thats when you lose your balance and fall out of the pose. Each pose in yoga are endless. There is no final place you have to be bcos you can always go deeper into the pose. This also helps you be patient with yourself and honor where you are. You bring this into your life by realizing that where you are is where you’re supposed to be. Practicing yoga is very beneficial physically and also strengthens your mental endurance.