Many times in our lives we see ourselves going towards the right path, we think everything is going well, and then someone or something gets in the way of said path and crashes into our lives.
They think that your life is not important and that you need to only listen to their problems. Have that happened to you? I know for sure it had happens many times in your lifetime.
For example, my daughter was driving on her way to school, out of our community. She was listening to music when suddenly, out of nowhere, this person crashed into her car, totaling it and leaving her unconscious inside it. Meanwhile, I was reaching my job when I received a call from a paramedic that they were taking my daughter to the hospital.
I thought to myself, "What is this chaos?"
A chaos caused by an external force, that was late for work and maybe thought that accelerating 35mph in a 15mph zone was going to "make her be on time for work."
Why do I tell you this story? because when we created the "I Choose Peace" candle, it was because we realized that when you are at peace some chaotic force can come from where you least expected and abruptly break it into tiny peaces.
So, How do You Choose your Peace?
It is at that moment of complete chaos, that you have to stop and think, don't let the emotions of the situation take complete control of your mind.
Re-aligned yourself in the present, quiet your mind and decide what's the best course of action for you in a messy situation.
I choose peace, it is one of the teaching of Master Yogananda, the first yoga master in India. I read his book long time ago, but one thing that stayed in my mind is to attain and keep peace when chaos surround me.
It means fighting for your peace within adversity. While it is challenging quieting your mind when you want to meditate, especially when the kids, your partner or roommate constantly interrupt you with a question or whatever be the case at moment.
Peace, is something is acquired through practice like getting good at math or passing a test, you need to study. It doesn't mean that you are going to renounce to your husband/wife/family/friends/work and children. It means that you will set aside time for yourself.
I realize that in order to have peace in my surroundings, I have to have inner peace, to be a little selfish isn't a bad thing. Now, is it easy to obtain peace? Obviously no. Here are a few techniques to finding peace for yourself.
5 Techniques to Choose Peace:
- Meditate: it isn't easy to sit still for thirty minutes and think about nothing. But, meditating can be done in so many different ways, not just "emptying your mind." We enjoy using guided meditations on YouTube and lighting a candle to set the mood.
- Write Down your Blessings: sometimes taking a moment to appreciate the small wins can help gain perspective to stay centered when adversity rears its head.
- Write Out Your Feelings: The best way to find peace is to write out all the negative feelings that are weighing you down, keeping you away from your peace of mind. Journaling helps empty out the mind giving you a weightless feeling guiding you to clarity & peace. This technique really helps to alleviate overwhelm and anxiety.
- Focus on What You Can Control: When you are surrounded by stressful situations that are frankly out of your control, focus on what you can control. Bob Ross once said that painting always gave him such relief because on the canvas he had complete control. It was his world and he held the power within it.
- Aroma Therapy: smells often transport us to memories, so if you you use scented candles that relate to love or harmony it will help send the right signals to your brain and start to clam down.
Peace is something you need to fight to obtain and keep. Choose your peace every day, and don't feel bad if it escapes from you a little bit, just keep practicing until choosing peace becomes second nature to you.