10 Steps To Peace of Mind

1. LIVE IN A STATE OF APPRECIATION - Notice your busy inner-critic and fire him or her. Instead, hire a loving and generous inner-appreciator. Make a commitment to sincerely appreciate yourself and your loved ones at least several times daily. Focusing on the positive and sincerely noticing things you appreciate in yourself and others brings a feeling of peacefulness and flow that you can feel in your whole body.

2. CHOOSE INTEGRITY IN YOUR AGREEMENTS - Only make agreements you REALLY WANT to make. Give up the “shoulds” and “need to’s”. You will feel the joyful result of your authentic choices and your relationships will be honest and clean. Let go of playing victim to someone else’s rules and requirements and instead honor and trust your own ability to choose wisely. You gain Peace of Mind by being true to yourself and honest with others.

3. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF AND ASK, “AM I HAVING FUN”? - The word “silly” comes from the old English word, “seely” which means happy, blessed and blissful. Explore the possibility that creating fun and joy in your life goes hand in hand with creating shared meaningful experiences. When you are not having fun you are frequently adrift in mind chatter and stories, all made up by your big imaginative mind. Noticing when you are locked into “serious” mode helps you to recognize you have drifted from being in a state of ease and flow. Notice your busy minds with loving amusement and come back to what you know for sure is true………your breath, your feelings, your body sensations, your thoughts all in the PRESENT MOMENT and recommit to having FUN!

4. BREATHE - We often are continually reacting to ongoing stimuli and distractions. We unconsciously stop our breath when we experience feelings of anger, fear or sadness that accompany our busy lives. Take a deep abdominal breath several times daily and use this time to focus inward…”how am I feeling right now?” and “what do I really want right now?” Shift from being reactive to making a conscious choice in how you respond.

5. GIVE UP BLAME AND CRITICISM - Make a commitment to eliminate blame and criticism in your life and you will experience more joy, peace and loving connections. When you notice yourself starting to blame, instead turn it around and KINDLY ask yourself “I wonder how I contributed to this situation?” When a critical thought arises, look for the feeling underneath and lovingly honor and be present with whatever it is. No judgments. Be Radical and shift from “Blaming” to “Claiming”.

6. ADOPT THE MANTRA “IT’S PERFECT EXACTLY HOW IT IS” - Stress is often about always wishing “IT” (your body, your job, your relationship, your life, you fill in the blank) was different than “IT” is. PEACE OF MIND is about noticing how “IT” is and embracing “IT” with love and acceptance. Because you can’t change something if you don’t first acknowledge it exactly how it is and accept it as reality. There is something very comforting about being nonjudgmental in accepting reality. It is only from this stance that inner peace and positive change can occur.

7. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, LIVE IN COMPLETION - When our minds are bogged down with mental or physical clutter, it’s impossible to feel Peace of Mind. Taking steps towards completion can restore your sense of power over those things you CAN control and help clear out inner space. The important part is in the taking action, the moving forward with baby steps until you feel complete with whatever project you are choosing to focus on.

8. TELL THE TRUTH – This is like a magic elixir! In your important relationships, whenever you hold back from sharing something important, keep significant secrets or for some reason choose not to face what you know to be true (don’t tell the truth to yourself), you create a feeling of stress or dis-ease within you. It’s as if there is a big clamp on your system and your flow is stopped. Even if you feel scared, and you very well may, telling the truth is the most honest, loving and efficient clamp release there is. Restore the Flow!

9. ENHANCE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE - Learning how to identify what you are feeling when you are feeling it and building your ability to honor and express your feelings appropriately will definitely take you further on your path towards Peace of Mind. It all starts with noticing a body sensation, perhaps a clenching of your teeth and an achy jaw or maybe pulling or pushing sensation in your chest. For many people body sensations around the jaw often mean the feeling anger and those in the chest area, sadness. You may have a different experience of your feelings and a different knowing about what your body sensations are telling you. In any case, learning to pay attention to the wisdom your body is offering can be of great help to you. You can learn to notice what your sensations are, put a feeling name to them, practice accepting them without judgment and love yourself for having them. You can also choose to express (without drama or blame) or not, depending on the situation.

10. MOVE YOUR BODY - Sometimes, when you mind is stuck in overwhelm, moving your body can help create Peace of Mind. Especially, moving your body in unfamiliar ways. My Mentors Gay and Katie Hendricks at the Hendricks Institute, call this CREATIVE JOINT PLAY OR CJP for short. When you move around and focus on your joints bending and rotating in a myriad of ways, you feel silly and have fun and can’t help but leave your worry thoughts behind. Worry and overwhelm are about the past or the future. Coming back to your body with CJP brings you back to the present. It definitely takes you to a much different and better state of mind!

Dana Gramprie R.N., M.A.

Conscious Relationship and Life Coach

Peace of Mind Life Coaching

E-mail: danagramprie@mac.com

Phone: 734-476-7411