inner peace

When your life seems out of control and you’re constantly overwhelmed, these 3 tips will help you create a greater sense of inner peace and balance in your life.

When your life seems out of control and you’ve got endless demands tugging at you from all directions, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, fatigued – and just plain stressed!

Believe it or not, balancing your life does not require massive changes. You don’t have to quit your job, abandon your family and escape to a remote retreat in order to feel peaceful and happy.

In fact, true balance is something that starts with you, first and foremost– no matter what else is happening in your outer life circumstances.

Here are three simple tips to begin creating a greater sense of inner peace and balance in your life:

1. Make Quiet Time

One of the first things we tend to sacrifice when we’re busy is our personal time. Instead, we devote all of our energy and attention to caring for others, multi-tasking, meeting responsibilities and “being productive.”

Over time this depletes our energy and we begin to feel more and more burdened by our responsibilities. To live a more balanced life, finding quiet time for yourself is crucial.

You may believe that you don’t have any time available for yourself, but something amazing happens when you consistently make time for yourself.

With this simple emotional self-care practice you’ll find yourself feeling happier and more energetic, your focus improves – and you still get plenty done!

Just a few minutes spent sitting quietly in meditation, starting a mindfulness practice or reading a book can do wonders in transforming stress into peace and happiness.

2. Practice Extreme Self-Care

Beyond making time for things you enjoy, there are other ways to nurture and love yourself on a daily basis.

Getting a full 8 hours of sleep (or as much as you personally need) is a great start, as well as eating nutritious food, exercising daily and speaking kindly to yourself.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re really tired or stressed, even the smallest problem can seem like a nightmare? On the other hand, when you’re feeling well-rested and centered, you’re much better able to handle upsets.

Practicing extreme self-care is one sure way to consistently replenish your energy, inner peace and joy – which means you’ll have the strength to handle whatever comes your way.

3. Go With The Flow

Did you know that one of the biggest causes of stress is rigid expectations? We all do it from time to time; get a mental picture of how our lives “should be” – and get really annoyed when our outer circumstances don’t cooperate!

One of the biggest gifts you can give yourself is a flexible state of mind. In other words, learn how to detach from unrealistic expectations and go with the flow.

When you have a flexible mindset, you’re able to deal with crises and problems much more easily because you’re not working against a preconceived notion of how things “should be”.

You’re able to tap into your creative problem-solving skills and move through challenges without all the drama and frustration. Be like the tree that bends with the breeze – and you’re much less likely to break!

These empowering beliefs can make a dramatic difference in your state of well-being, but you may also want to examine your outer life circumstances and see if there are other small changes you can make to help support your inner work.

For example, you might choose to let go of certain obligations that are no longer meaningful or enjoyable to you.

Just because you agreed to host weekly meetings for a support group three years ago doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it forever – especially if it’s become a drain on your time and energy!

Be willing to let go of activities that no longer complement the lifestyle you desire, and you’ll create a space for greater fulfilment, joy and peace.

Need to talk to a professional counsellor? You can get free counselling for women on the AskSHEROES chat helpline run by the SHEROES platform for women.