Creating peace and harmony in your life shouldn’t be an impossible task. But who couldn’t use a little more peace and harmony? Most of us wouldn’t say our lives are peaceful; most of my friends deal with at least 1 truly stressful event each week (some each day). While cannot always control what confronts us we can seek to create peace and harmony in what we CAN control. I have a few suggestions that have helped me over the years. Some suggestions are about DOING while others are about seeking or accepting. This is not to say that I don’t have stress or feel stressed. But I’ve found that when I incorporate these simple choices into my life I can handle it all much better.
Creating Peace and Harmony
I have 10 really simple things that I do to to create more peace and harmony in my life. Don’t be locked into these specifically but use them as a jumping board for your own ideas. I’d also love to hear how you bring create a peaceful environment in your own life – be sure to leave me your thoughts in the comments!
8 Simple Choices That Can Create More Peace and Harmony
Pray
The greatest sense of peace and harmony I get is from spending time in prayer. I am a Christian so I pray to Jesus. You can call this time meditation, if you’re more comfortable with that. Did you know that studies have shown that an active prayer life can greatly reduce stress and bring a sense of comfort and peace to your life? This is the number one peace and harmony creator in my life – no doubt about it.
Pursue Your Hobbies
Let me put that a different way…pursue the activities that make your heart leap with joy! I love to garden. I can sit out there and dig in the dirt, plant seeds, talk to my veggies and feel an overwhelming sense of peace (and accomplishment). I actively set out to make gardening a focal point in my life because it brings joy (=peace=harmony) to my life. I also love this blog. I have a passion to share what I’ve learned with others; and I love to write. This is my creative outlet! Do you have an outlet and do you make time for it?
Be in the Present
What does it mean to be in the present? To me it is not allowing the past hurts and the future worries to consume your thoughts or days. It is being in the moment wholeheartedly. It is enjoying the people, places and pursuits right then and there. This is something I still struggle with this myself. I am not just talking about stewing over past bologna but also not letting myself over-focus about the future. Over-focus on the future? YEP! You know, you’ll be happy when____________________. I can get in that tornado of dreaming and miss out on all the good right now, right here. Don’t quit dreaming – but don’t let your peace and harmony be based on that either.
Read for Pleasure
When was the last time you picked up a book purely for the pleasure of reading it? Confession time! My guilty pleasure is historical romance novels; not Harlequin but sappy, sweet, better-if-a-cowboy-is-in-it romance. I can’t believe I admitted that publicly… But read what you love. What you sneak away to the bathroom to read because it is quiet. The book that keeps you from making dinner…well not every night. Read for fun, for love for pleasure! If you can create a little reading nook, that’s a bonus!
Serve Others
There is nothing quite like the peace and harmony you’ll find in giving and serving. I’m not talking about putting a buck into a panhandler’s hat but really involving yourself in service. There are wonderful charities and programs that need volunteers but it doesn’t have to be that organized. You can give your time at a soup kitchen, take a sick neighbor a pot of soup, help a single mom with babysitting or yard work. It isn’t the act itself, but the giving of your time and attention. Don’t go into it looking for a pat on the back or a bunch of likes on Facebook. Don’t make it a public spectacle, if you can keep it private, other to invite others to help, then do so.
Spend Some Time Alone
This can be done when your reading and praying but maybe you need more. I like to take myself to a movie or pedicure….all alone! I don’t do it often because I am SUPER SOCIAL and I love and crave time with people. But I also get recharged by alone time. I find that I argue less with my loved ones, have less anger on the road and generally enjoy people more when I’ve had some time to myself. If you’re a parent, you need this even more. You don’t have to go out alone but don’t be afraid to do it either!
Forgive and Forget
I know you’ve heard it before but like Elsa sang…Let It Go! Holding onto anger, hurt and un-forgiveness is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. You are creating peace and harmony by simply forgiving someone, even if they don’t deserve it. You don’t have to allow anything into your life that causes you pain – let people and situations that hurt you go too. Then forget it. Don’t allow yourself to keep revisiting the hurt, the anger, the shame, the guilt, the whatever. It will take some effort at first but the more you practice this concept the easier you’ll find it is to do.
Laugh – then laugh some more
Sometimes I just watch Jim Gaffigan or Tim Hawkins videos because I need a good laugh. I spend the most time with people that make me laugh…and that laugh at my jokes. Laughing is the BEST medicine. It should be prescribed for creating peace and harmony. I have a few friends that can make me laugh in the worst times and they are the ones I try to call when I’m upset. Not the friends who will commiserate with me…you know who I’m talking about. I need the ones that show me how to laugh it off. Are you laughing everyday? If not you need to get on that ASAP!
This list is how I go about creating peace and harmony in my life. It isn’t all the ways, it isn’t the only ways. But I sure how you found something that you can use to help you. If all else fails, go for chocolate. 😉
Like this article? Check out Simplifying Life by Answering these 5 Questions too!