9 Simple Ways to Find Inner Peace and Live Authentically

Have you ever been wronged? Overwhelmed? Stressed? Or maybe did you make a mistake that still haunts you to this day?

I can definitely recall instances where felt wronged and did wrong. 

I remember being insulted and even being ghosted by people I cared about. But, I also remember letting down the people I love and care about.

All these instances haunted me, preventing me from living out my best life.

So, what helped me move on and find that inner peace? 

It was a combination of some inner work and cultivating my inner peace.

If you want to learn more, I’ll be sharing with you 9 Simple ways to find your inner peace and live authentically. Continue reading to find out!

The importance of finding your inner peace

I used to take things personally. Too personally.

If someone didn’t like me, that would ruin my entire mood, even though I had dozens of other people who loved me for who I am. 

This culminated in feelings of animosity, anger, and vengeance. I constantly wanted to prove others wrong and get back at these people.

Eventually, these bitter feelings exhausted me. I found myself unmotivated in other areas of my life, such as my dreams, goals, and aspirations.

All of a sudden, I focused less on my healthy loving relationships and chased the ghost of my past relationships. 

Ultimately, I stopped caring about what truly mattered and more about things that angered, aggravated and annoyed me. 

However, what helped me overcome this is finding my inner peace. 

A friend of mine told me:

“Being ok with yourself is kind of the way you become ok with everything.”

Inner peace is a deliberate state of mind where you are mentally and spiritually at peace. 

Inner peace is what helps you stay strong and calm in times of adversity. It is what allows you to live your life authentically.

When I started working on making peace with myself, I was able to slowly, but surely move towards a more authentic and meaningful life. 

When you find inner peace, you’re able to focus on what’s present.

You can focus on your goals, your relationships, and make peace with your past. 

You face stress, frustration, and other adversities in a calm and collected way, not letting things sway or deter you.

If you want to cultivate and find your inner calm, let’s get into the 7 ways that helped me find inner peace. 

1. Breathe

When you’re angry, upset, or stressed, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose sight of the present moment. 

To ground yourself and shift your attention back, start with finding your breath. 

When I’m overwhelmed or upset, I would start with this simple breathing exercise: I would take a long inhale through the nose, pause for a split second, and take a long and relieving exhale through the mouth. 

After doing this a couple of times, I instantly feel calmer and more level-headed. 

When you’re calmer and less reactive, you’ll then be able to accurately and rationally assess your current situation.

If you remain in a state of anger, you are more likely to be more impulsive and draw rash conclusions, further aggravating and angering you.

2. Set Clear Boundaries

Setting clear boundaries helps you maintain and protect your inner peace. 

Being around toxic people drains our energy and our self-confidence, whether it is family, friends, co-workers, etc.

To protect your inner peace, it’s important to set boundaries so that when you do encounter these types of people, your energy and peace won’t be taken away.

For example, you can limit what you tell certain people or limit your time around them. Assess your situation and what’s feasible for you.

When I’m around toxic family members, I limit what I say and keep my responses short. If I protect my private life and remain unengaging, it’s less likely for them to draw out our interactions and engage with me.

3. Meditation

Earlier this year, I started meditating.

It was a stressful time for me — I was dealing with the loss of a relationship, the tumultuous relationship with my grandmother, and the stress of my career. 

I didn’t want to let the stress overwhelm and overtake me. That’s why when a mentor of mine recommended meditation, I reluctantly tried it out.

And let me tell you, meditation does wonders for your well-being. 

After a meditation session, I was no longer overwhelmed. I came out of my meditation session with a clearer mind, which allowed me to calmly review my situation and make rational decisions.

And luckily, you don’t even need to meditate for that long to see the benefits.

I started with meditating for 3 minutes and already saw results.

In fact, I recommend you start small, as I did. It’ll help you ease into the practice and understand what meditation entails. Incorporate it into your morning or night routine to make it a daily habit.

If you’re looking to get started, I recommend downloading the Headspace or Insight Timer app, both available for iOS and Android.

4. Let go of your grudges 

A while ago, I was friends with a group of people who weren’t exactly kind. 

I remember being outcasted, ignored, and eventually kicked out of my friend circle. 

During our “friendship”, I never felt good enough or heard. After it ended, I was upset, then angry, wanting to prove these people wrong and one-up them — I even sought revenge, wanting to prove those who hurt me wrong.

Because of this, I wanted to make them regret their actions and feel the same way they made me feel.

However, revenge and vengeance are tiring. It detracts you away from your true purpose and your happiness.

Little did I know, I was spending so much time fixating on a group of people who probably weren’t even thinking of me. 

I spent less time pursuing my goals and neglected the friends and family who were always there for me. 

That’s when I decided to let go.

Ultimately, through empathy, I came to understand why things happened the way it did and made peace with myself and the relationship I lost. 

Letting go of those who hurt you doesn’t mean you’re forgetting what they did. It also doesn’t make whatever that person did to you ok or acceptable.

What it does mean is that by letting go, you’re allowing yourself to move on and to free up space for the things you love and want in your life. 

5. Create a Morning and Night Routine that’s Right for You

In this day and age, it’s hard to get time to relax and wind down. It almost feels like there is not enough time in our days. 

Unfortunately, a lack of rest and relaxation negatively impacts our well-being.

When you’re constantly working, daily stress accumulates. If our stress not managed, it can negatively impact our physical and mental health.

That’s why, despite how busy you are, it’s important you make some time for yourself to find peace and quiet.

An efficient way of doing that is by developing a morning and night routine. Carve some time out for yourself in the morning and before you go to bed. 

Rather than starting your day in a stressed and rushed manner, develop a routine that makes you excited to start your day. 

For me, my morning routine consists of making my favorite drink, Iced Matcha, doing light yoga, a quick meditation session, and eating delicious and nutritious foods for breakfast.

Having a solid morning routine helps me restore my energy, peace, and prepares me for my day.

Resources:

Intentional Ritual and Routines Planner Pages

Blog Post: How to Create Slow and Intentional Rituals/Routines

6. Declutter

Clutter is proven to negatively affect our anxiety levels, sleep, ability to focus, and more.

It distracts and overwhelms us, making it harder to find calm and peace in our lives.

To reclaim your energy, time, and well-being, declutter your environment. 

It’s time to let go of the things that don’t serve you, whether it be stuff you don’t use, letters from your exes, and even toxic relationships.

It’s also important to consider decluttering your digital environment and using technology in a more intentional way. This could mean uninstalling social media apps that only make you feel bad, deleting past photos, and more.

With a cleaner environment, you’re able to focus better and free yourself from unnecessary negative emotions.

7. Focus on the factors you can control

When you’re so worried about the things out of your control, such as other people’s opinions of you, a relationship that wasn’t meant to be, someone’s mood, etc., you’ll find yourself constantly being anxious and nervous.

There was a time in my life where I was chasing the approval of others.

This brewed up conflict within myself and other people, jealousy, insecurity, and more.

However, the opinions of others were beyond my control. Someone who I never interacted with could hate me for no apparent reason.

Before you worry about something and spiral into thought, ask yourself, if this is something you can control? If not, it’s time to move on and focus on what you can control.

8. Create meaningful and achievable goals 

There were times where I set near impossible, superficial new year’s resolutions and goals for myself. 

For example, I made many goals that revolved around impressing others but not any that were truly meaningful and beneficial to me.

When you create goals that aren’t aligned with your beliefs and purpose, you’ll encounter conflict when working towards them.

There are two outcomes to creating meaningless goals: one, you don’t achieve them and feel frustrated with yourself. Or two, you do achieve it, but you feel no sense of fulfillment, leaving you conflicted and confused. 

Create goals that are both meaningful and achievable. Design a goal that you can steadily work towards and see results.

To help me achieve my biggest goals and aspirations, I use a goal planner, where I plan my goals with intention and purpose. It helps me assess why I’m working towards something, bringing me inner peace and assurance. 

9. Be intentional and mindful with everything you do

Intentional and mindful living is something I hold in high regards. 

In order to find peace, your actions has to align with your values. 

Living intentionally and purposefully helps me not only grow, but also maintain my inner peace.

If you’re doing something that doesn’t align with your values, there will naturally be conflict.

That’s why it’s important to assess why you’re doing what you’re doing. Be intentional and mindful of whatever you’re doing. Do your tasks, no matter how trivial, with intention and purpose, and you’ll find yourself more at peace. 

Be patience and loving with yourself

What’s most important in this process is not to beat yourself up. If you fall back and revert back to old habits, don’t linger on it.

Accept it and lovingly move on, nurturing yourself and your inner peace. 

This is an ongoing process, even for me.

There are still times where I feel overwhelmed, stressed, jealous, etc. But with each obstacle and adversity, I find myself handling it better and better.

Let’s walk the path of love, peace, and improvement! Thanks for reading everyone! If you enjoyed reading, please share for others to read 🙂