Being at peace is not the same thing as being at rest; it’s easy to be calm when there’s nothing to be stressed about. The challenge that we face is finding tranquillity in turbulence. Although admittedly, that sentence sounds like an oxymoron, it isn’t unattainable.
In fact, finding peace in the moments that are the most turbulent is the true key to tranquillity. So with that in mind, here are a few ways to help you achieve this…
Be Present
We’ve all heard it, but what does it really mean to be “present in the moment”? And more importantly; how the hell do we do it? The answer, as always, is mindfulness. And what does that mean? Quite simply to be mindful of the things you are doing in each and every moment. Don’t worry, I won’t just leave it at that.
A lot of techniques in mindfulness engage your senses, such as touch, smell, and sound, to help ground you in the present moment. When we engage in tasks that we do more or less every day — especially those that may seem repetitive or monotonous — our mind drifts away. Sometimes our minds go to places that make us feel uncomfortable. We might be worried about the future or be mulling over the past. A great way to get out of this state, or possibly even prevent it, is to become aware of physical sensations.
Say, for example, you were sitting down somewhere and typing away on your laptop, all of a sudden your mind wanders. You start thinking about an event in the future (maybe a pitch at work or a meeting perhaps) and you become worried that you won’t be prepared enough, so your mind starts to spiral out of control. Before you know it, you become completely overwhelmed.
If this starts happening to you, try shifting your attention from the internal to the external. You can do this by making yourself aware of the feeling of your fingertips hitting the keys on your laptop, or your arms resting on your chair or desk. Listen to the clicks as you type and try and pick up on all the other ambient noise around you. Take in a deep breath of air and try and note the smells around you, the coffee, the air freshener… All of a sudden your back in the moment, you’re no longer worrying about what’s happened and what is yet to come, you are simply just here and now.
Take Noting
A great way to practice mindfulness is through a technique called noting. This technique requires you to note how you are feeling in any given situation, as the title suggests. It is particularly useful to note when you are feeling uncomfortable. For example, if you were feeling nervous or anxious before a presentation at work or maybe an important zoom call, all you would have to do is simply mentally acknowledge that feeling: “oh, that’s anxiety”. On the other hand, you could simply just note the emotion by labelling it, like you would say: “I’m happy” or I’m scared”.
The most important thing to remember when noting is that it should be done gently and without judgement. Don’t even try to think about why you are feeling the way you are, because that can lead to overthinking and then you’re right back at square one. Also, try and note what you are physically feeling; if you’re anxious, for example, you might spot the tightness in your chest or shortness of breath. Note these feelings, and again, don’t judge them When you become familiar with your feelings, both physically and mentally, you can start to understand your emotions too; and through this, you get to know who you are.
Be Patient
Too many of us get frustrated when things take too long. We live in a world where we are so used to getting things done in the shortest amount of time possible, where everything is delivered to our doorsteps the next day, so it’s only natural that we are no longer used to the concept of patience. There are two ways in which we need to learn to be patient in order to bring a calmer energy into our lives.
Firstly, you have to accept that the world doesn’t move to your beat — it has a rhythm of its own. This lockdown that we currently find ourselves in, for example, has gone on much longer than any of us thought it would and has therefore affected our lives more than we could have dreamed.
Secondly, we have to be patient with ourselves too. Finding peace in everyday moments can be easy, but finding peace in every moment might not be. Practice mindfulness whenever you can, but forgive yourself for the times you can’t.
Final Thoughts
Mindfulness has become somewhat of a trend recently, but it’s not just a fad; its roots lie in ancient traditions and religions, such as Zen and Buddhism. Western philosophers have taken certain elements from a range of practices and condensed them into what we now call ‘mindfulness’ to make them more palatable for a western audience.
In truth, many ancient religions and beliefs might seem outdated on the surface, but at their core, they contain key values that are still applicable to our current everyday life. We can take the best parts of these ideas from days gone by and use them for our benefit today, and just like that, we have a ‘peace’ of the past of our own.
Written by Matt Wilkinson
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