Goals, Mental Illness, Personal Growth, Reaching Out, Relationships

15 Reasons Why You Aren’t at Peace with Yourself

If you’re not at peace with yourself, the world around you will never be a happy place to live. Your world will become a happier place if you can identify reasons for not being at peace with yourself. Why not shake up your thought pattern, and make improvements in your life that will transform how you look, feel and think? Here are 15 reasons why you aren’t feeling inner peace, and what you can do about them.

1. You Eat Junk Food.

  • Studies have shown that processed foods don’t make you feel better in the long run, as they are full of sugar and carbs—leading you to have a sugar crash and deflate emotionally.
  • Focus on nutrient-rich foods that will enhance your energy level—berries, nuts, lean proteins, water throughout your day, and complex carbs.

2. You Focus on Mistakes from the Past.

  • You’re not living your life in the present, because you’re too worried about what happened in the past.
  1. If big mistakes were your fault, let go and accept what happened. Decide what you’ll do differently in the future.
  2. If someone else hurt you (we’re talking about something less than criminal), accept it and move on—no pain is worth holding on to, as it will only affect your happiness, not theirs.

3. You Fear Things Will Never Change

  • Remember nothing bad lasts forever—from stress at your job to feelings and situations.
  • Focus on the timeline—if it’s hard now, realize and remember that it will not always be this way. This moment will pass, just like every other moment!

4. You Don’t Have a Self-care Routine

  • Taking care of others should happen only after you take care of yourself.
  • Focus on the morning—what can you do to nurture yourself? Some basic suggestions and great ways to take care of yourself are:
  1. Fueling up on water (accepted research says you need 8 – 10 glasses a day),
  2. Sitting in silence and meditating,
  3. Eating a wholesome breakfast,
  4. Spending some time setting goals and reflecting.

5. You Care Too Much about What Others Think

  • What others think and do has nothing to do with you.
  • Focus on your path and no one else’s in order to maximize your own happiness. Do what you love, and nothing anyone can say will bother you.

6. You’re Living in Your Comfort Zone

  • Do something that scares you (just a little bit!) every single day!
  • Try hiking outdoors if you’re used to running, or try exploring different career options—ones that excite you.

7. You’re Overwhelmed by Your Workload

  • All work and no play? This one is a major cause for depression, stress and feeling overwhelmed in general.
  • Peace is about feeling comfortable and happy in your own skin—focus on a reasonable work schedule, leaving you with at least one full day off a week, if not two.

8. You Don’t Get Outdoors and Exercise

  • Boost your inner peace with kayaking, sailing, jogging, walking, rock climbing—anything that will get you out of the house and into nature.
  • Focus on the smells, sights and sounds of nature, and immediately have your energy and restored and life’s zest returned.

9. You Watch Too Much Reality TV

  • Reality TV is mostly negative—cat-calling, gossip, and bad language. This doesn’t just bring a negative way of thinking into your life; it can influence you to act in similar ways.
  • Turn off the TV at least two hours before going to bed, and limit your TV watching to 2 hours a day—max. Replace that TV-watching time with reading, getting outdoors, going out to eat, etc.

10. You Seek Perfection in Yourself and Others

  • Seeking perfection is setting yourself up for failure—it limits your ability to enjoy the moment at hand, and takes away from what could be, such as opportunities for what a relationship has the potential to become.
  • Focus on the good in people, places and things. Let whatever happens, happen.

11. You Haven’t Been Able to Forgive Yourself

  • Forgiveness is possible—anyone can be forgiven, as long as you forgive yourself first.
  • Focus on the ability you have to control the small things by taking good care of yourself every day and enjoying friends and family.
  • Set goals for the things you can’t quite control. Allow yourself time to grieve, then give gratitude for what you can control and let time do the rest.

12. You Seek Love, But Can’t “Find It”

  • When you want to be in love but are single, it can be frustrating—but all it takes is one moment to change it all around!
  • While you’re waiting for love, take control! Give yourself loving thoughts, and you’ll begin to attract love to your life.

13. You Take Things Personally

  • Nothing is personal, unless it comes from you.
  • For example, getting rejected by a publisher isn’t about you—it’s about them. Getting dumped by a lover is about them and even getting blamed by your boss is about them—it is about their expectations, needs, etc. …
  • Focus on what is personal—do whatever you need to do to make yourself content with who you are, and forget about the rest.

14. You Compulsively Blame Yourself

  • Blaming yourself has to do with dissatisfaction in yourself—so why do it?
  • Focus on the things you can control, such as your health and whether or not you meet deadlines at work, and focus on what you can realistically accomplish. Let the rest go.

15. You Don’t Take Action over What You Can Control

  • What things can you take action on that you haven’t?
  • Letting the world pass you by because you’re stuck not doing a thing? Take action, one small goal at a time. Focus on taking one step (washing the dishes, taking out the trash, etc.) and then begin to aim for larger goals.

A Few Last Words …

Inner peace is essential for a happy, fulfilled life. Whether you want to become more settled in your own skin, feel better about your accomplishments or avoid the blame game inside your own head, these 15 tips will surely get you there. Practice them regularly, and commit to thinking positive, self-affirming thoughts.

 

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