Glenn Harrold

Inner peace may seem like it is a distant memory to you right now given the current state of global unrest. It is very easy to allow your mind to wander in a negative direction when we are being bombarded with gloomy news reports and stories in our mainstream media.

Try not to allow this negative programming to influence or hijack your mindset as it can be highly detrimental for your well-being and certainly won’t help with your stress levels.

Inner peace is a journey rather than a destination. There will be times when you experience worry, jealously or anger but these are all a natural part of being a human. The best way to start your journey if you haven’t already begun is to start living well. Eating well, drinking fresh water, exercising, getting enough sleep and plenty of fresh air may seem obvious but they have been the best way to lay the foundations for inner peace.

Emotions can serve us very well as they can be make us feel better in ourselves and they can be used as part of a practice during meditation. However certain emotions such as jealously can be quite destructive if they are not managed properly. Jealousy is borne of a survival mechanism, we learned to envy what others had in a time when no one had much at all. Take time to notice what you have, remember you are on a journey and try to stop comparing yourself to others. If you notice it creeping in, stop it in it’s tracks and try to replace the jealous thought with a positive one about yourself.

Try to focus on the current moment, or now. Worry can be another emotion that can mislead you on your journey to inner peace. When you focus on your worries and thoughts, you will quickly realise that most of them will be based around either the past or the future. Why not try writing these down in a list and notice which of these are problems that exist right now in the present moment. When you think about the present moment, you will find that in most cases, ‘now’ is okay.

Meditation can be very effective tool in your journey to finding inner peace. Here is a visualisation technique that you can practice at home.

Find a quiet spot. You may have a favourable space, try next to a window or somewhere that is silent.

Breathe. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Breathe deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth. At the top of each breath, hold it for three seconds, then silently and mentally count to five on every out breath.

Visualise. Imagine you are looking up at a beautifully bright star on a warm clear night. Notice that this star in particular is burning extra bright tonight.

Feel the energy. As you gaze up, you can feel the energy radiating from the star and you notice something extra special about it. You sense that this star holds the key to everything you need to know to help you go forward successfully in your life. Become completely focused on this tiny bright white light and notice it come closer towards you but still remains the same size. See it come closer until it is hovering just above the crown of your head and staying there. At this point you may feel a tingling sensation or a warm comforting glow. Now you can begin to affirm to yourself the following:

I have great wisdom and understanding

I am aware and enlightened

I understand my journey in life

When you are ready count from one to ten, then open your eyes and come back to full waking consciousness. Connecting with yourself in this way will reinforce all the lessons you have learned on your journey and help you continue to your chosen path.

All the best,

Glenn

“Nothing can stop a person with the right mental attitude from achieving their goal; nothing on earth can help a person with the wrong mental attitude.”

— Thomas Jefferson