As I’ve gotten older, I’ve experienced the value of nurturing and protecting my inner peace. It helps me strengthen and stand behind my voice – my words – which I use for a living. And it creates a safe space, a loving retreat within myself when I feel hurt, misunderstood, or creatively drained.
“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.” —John F. Kennedy
I put out a post on Instagram this week sharing a few of my daily and weekly practices to cultivate inner peace and a greater sense of self-compassion. Several people in the Intrepid Emma community also offered their own suggestions. May these ideas inspire you and serve you too!
Practices for Cultivating Inner Peace
- Journaling
- Especially with prompts that encourage productive self-reflection instead of rumination.
- Breathwork
- Especially box breathing. (Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4, and repeat.)
- Podcasts with real people’s experiences
- Their honest stories help me feel connected to others and not alone in what I see as my “weirdness” or struggles. Our emotions are universal, even if our daily experiences are not. Some great podcasts are: Over It and On with It by Christine Hassler, By the Book, We Love️ You (and So Can You), and believe it or not, Everything is Alive. (The latter is an interview series with inanimate objects coming to life to tell their stories.)
- Self-compassion meditations
- Therapy
- Particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in my case. If therapy is a bit out of reach, check out the book Mind Over Mood to start practicing on your own.
- Practicing treatments for acknowledging and processing emotions from the book Emotional First Aid by Guy Winch.
Ideas from the community:
- “Yoga, mindfulness… help me find my inner peace!”
- Shauna of @ladycrimsonvisuals
- “Spending time in nature.”
- Sofia @sofialgzzi
- “Morning pages as recommended by Julia Cameron… spiritual books… essential oils.”
- “I recently got back into dancing and it has made a world of difference! I also love to read and bake. Really makes me feel like me again!”
- Kate @kateparksisley
Finally, here is perhaps my most life-changing, yet simple daily practice of all:
I try to make decisions that respect myself, even if I haven’t felt ready to make decisions out of love for myself. This includes things so simple as using gloves to watch dishes so my hands don’t hurt, or speaking up if I feel exhausted and have to nap before heading out with a friend. Making respectful choices for myself has increased my sense of worthiness, competence, self-compassion, and ultimately self love. Every decision makes it a little more natural to make the next one.
If you’re interested in incorporating these small, self-respecting acts, @the.holistic.psychologist is a great resource and calls them “small daily promises.”
How do you cultivate and restore inner peace? It’s so important for all of us. You could help someone and even yourself by sharing a few ideas. Let’s keep chatting on Instagram and in the comments below!
