Laughter Therapy: How Humor Can Be a Powerful Medicine for Chronic Illness
Living with chronic illness can be pretty stressful, unpredictable and overwhelming. Aside from the physical pain and symptoms, you have to deal with a rollercoaster of emotions, practical problems and an uncertain future.
It’s a far cry from the image most of us have of ‘inner peace’.
But the thing is, you don’t have to be a yogi, serenely meditating in natural surroundings to find that calm state of mind. Even with everything that’s going on around you, it is possible to stay centered and quiet the noise.
Inner peace refers to the ability to remain relatively calm and undisturbed by external conditions. Even in difficult situations, you manage to clear your mind, listen to your own inner voice, and act calm and collected. Inner peace also means you don’t feel so attached to outward events – what people think of you, superficial achievements or keeping up with the Joneses.
The million dollar question of course is, how can you reach that state of inner peace?
That’s been a life-long quest for Buddhists and philosophers for centuries, so there’s no easy answer. But there are a few things you could do to bring more inner peace in your life.
You don’t have to become a monk to start taming your monkey mind. Mindfulness exercises and meditation will train your brain to drown out the noise and become more focused. Recognizing and challenging your negative thinking patterns is another important step to quiet your mind.
Over time, you could also adopt a mindset of acceptance; letting go off perfection or thinking “I will be happy once I am/have…”. Finally, a slower pace of living will give you more room to simply ‘be’. Less hurrying and stress means more time for introspection and peaceful practices like tai chi, yoga and gardening.
Would you like to find more calm in the chaos of living with chronic illness? Get inspired by these 12 inner peace quotes to stay centered in every situation.
Which inner peace quote helps you feel more calm, focused and centered?
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