Here are 3 Ways You Can Have More Peace in Your Life
3 Ways to Have More Peace in Your Life
Do you feel sometimes like life is moving quickly and you are just barely hanging on? You may want to slow down, but you do not know how.
It may seem counterintuitive, but at times like this, it is helpful to slow down. Think of it this way: when you are driving somewhere and you are not sure if you are on the right road, do you just keep going, hoping you are going the right way, or do you pull over for a minute to check your directions to make sure you are going the correct way? Taking a few minutes to check your directions can save you many more minutes or even hours if you had in fact been going in the wrong direction. Taking the time to slow down and find ways to have more peace in your life is time well spent.
Three ways to find peace each day
Here are three things you can do to help you find peace each day. You can do one of them or all of them. It is up to you. With time and practice, you will discover what works best for you.
1. Slow down to find peace.
Did you think the number one item was going to be prayer? I thought about that. Yet, we often need to slow down just to pray. Even when we are active we need to slow our minds down to think and pray. So, slowing down is number one.
How can you slow down?
Here are some ideas:
- Part 1: Set a timer for 10 minutes and make a list of things that bring you joy in your life. They can be as simple as going to bed early or they can be things that take more time, like a craft night with friends.
- Part 2: Get out your planner or calendar and plan when you will do some of these things. Even if you plan something for a month from now, put it in writing and then KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT. This is an appointment with yourself. Just as you would keep an appointment with a freind or a doctor, keep this appointment with yourself. You are important!
- Before you even get out of bed in the morning, pray a Morning Offering to dedicate your day to God and ask Him for His help. Offering your day to God first thing in the moring helps you to slow down before you jump into your day. It helps you to start your day off with the right intention and in a more intentional manner.
- Plan time in your schedule or daily routine that is unscheduled. Planning these free times gives you the space to get something done that did not get done earlier, take care of something unexpected without a lot of extra stress, or just rest and enjoy life. We don’t have to be busy every minute of every day! In fact, we should not be; we need down time, too. Plan a few unscheduled hours or even an entire day, if possible, whenever you can to cultivate more peace in your life.
- Go to be early. Even if you don’t fall asleep right away, going to bed early will give you some time to rest, pray, think, unwind, or dream before you fall asleep.
Here are some additional resources that can help you to plan your days to include more downtime and add more peace to each day:
How to Make a Simple Schedule to add Peace to Your Day
How to use a Loop Schedule to Have Greater Peace
2. Pray.
Jesus told His Apostles, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” John 14: 27 Jesus does not want us to be afraid or troubled. When we keep our eyes on Him rather than on things that trouble us, we have greater peace.
Sharing our hearts with God in prayer helps us to keep our focus on Him and helps us to rely more on Him.
Here are some ways that you can include prayer in your day to have greater peace:
- Pray a Morning Offering each day before you get out of bed to dedicate your day to God and ask Him to help you to live it well.
- Listen to and pray with music that helps you to think of God and His goodness. “Because He Lives (Amen),” “Lord, I Need You,” or “Run to the Father” by Catholic musician Matt Maher are beautiful songs you can sing to as you praise God and keep your mind turned to Him and His goodness.
- Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It only takes about 5 minutes.
- If you can, attend Mass one day during the week.
- Read a chapter of the Bible and pray about it. Learning How to Pray: Lectio Divina walks you through how to pray with the Bible in this way.
Here are some more posts on prayer to help you:
5 Simple Ideas to Add More Prayer to Your Day
Tools to Help You Improve Your Prayer Life
Good Catholic Books to Read: Improve Your Prayer Life
3. Practice peace.
Just as we don’t learn how to ride a bike without practice, we cannot expect to decide one day to be at peace and then have no problems holding on to that peace all day every day. Being at peace in our hearts takes prayer and practice. It takes effort. God will certainly help us!
Here are some ways to practice being at peace each day:
- Have some Bible verses about peace written down or memorized so you can repeat them to yourself to help you be at peace. John 14:1 is a good example: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”
- Remind yourself that God loves you. yes. He loves YOU. He created you because He loves you. He wants to help you live your bese life-one filled with peace and love. Have Confidence in God’s Love for You.
- Remember that God wants you to have peace. He does not want you to be filled with anxiety, but to live in His peace and love.
- Be aware of your tone of voice. Do you sound anxious or frustrated sometimes? Are you short tempered with others? Or, do you sound calm or neutral? How we speak (or yell…) indicates how we feel inside. You may not even feel stressed, yet you may notice your reacted strongly to one of your kids for something he or she did. Noticing your tone or how you speak can help clue you in on times you are feeling stressed.
- Consciously speak in a calm manner when you are stressed or anxious. Whispering can help you to do this more effectively. This can be challenging, but it is so worthwhile. Ask God to help you to do this!
- Take a deep breath. Or two. Or three. This can help you reset yourself and be more at peace as you continue in yoru day.
Here are some articles that give you more resources about practicing these peace tips each day:
Three Steps on How to Cultivate Peace in Your Heart Each Day
Create A Simple Catholic Bible Reading Plan
Three ways to find peace each day
You can cultivate peace in your heart and mind each day. Slow down, pray, and practice peace. Ask God to help you. He will. 🔥
More resources to help you to find peace each day
Get your life together! A Gift Guide for the Catholic Mom
10 Ways to Find Peace in Troubled Times
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