What Brings You Peace/Anxiety

In a similar way that we looked at what allows us to be happy/sad, we need to also look at what it is that brings us peace and or anxiety. Unlike happiness or sadness that affect our mental mood, peace and anxiety are processes that can and do affect our physical well-being. These are things that can be beneficial or detrimental to our overall health. A life lived in constant anxiety will produce a life filled with medical ailments such as depression, high blood pressure, a higher risk of heart disease, and even an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. It also leads to a less than personable disposition. Just stand two people, one with high anxiety and the other with a sense of inner peace, side by side and compare their physical appearances. I do not doubt for a minute that you would choose to live like the one with inner peace.

 

Let’s look at what we can do to bring a greater sense of peace into your life and at the same time decrease the level of anxiety you are experiencing. Peace comes from not only a feeling of well-being but from external factors too. Anxiety also comes from internal and external stimuli. In the list below, compare the feelings of peace with the feelings of anxiety and see what side you are on. Using this list, what activities or thoughts can you use to bring more peace into your life?

 

 

PEACE	ANXIETY
Thankful	Worry
Joy	Frustration
Love	Fear
Hopeful	Despair
Gratitude	Agitation
Healing	Depression
Fellowship	Loneliness
Tranquil	Scared
Success	Failure
Appreciation	Overwhelmed
Ease	Panic

 

When we look at things that bring us peace and anxiety, we will often find that the causes are related to their alignment or mal-alignment to our values, morals, and beliefs. When situations that arise are in agreement with our values, morals, and beliefs, you will find that you are in harmony with them and you will experience peace. When situations go against our values, beliefs, and morals, we will become stressed as we try to bring them back into alignment with our self. Remember, that are values and morals are the most deeply rooted and being such are the things that we will less likely not be willing to violate. Beliefs are always negotiable and as such it may be something we should consider as a cause of our anxiety. Have we acquired new information or knowledge because of a certain experience, and now need to adjust our beliefs to reflect this new epiphany. Remember that paradigm shifts are necessary to keep up with the changes that keep us informed and in sync with the world around us.

 

The next time you find yourself in a high anxiety situation, take time to reflect on just what it is that is causing the anxiety. Reflect on how it agrees or disagrees with your values, morals, and beliefs. Keep in mind that you are allowed to have your own ideas and beliefs and that you do not, in any way, have to bend or conform to something that doesn’t sit well with you. If you do you will actually create greater conflict within and as a result experience even more anxiety. You are allowed to have your own thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, regardless what the world view may be. Be in peace with yourself!