Peace of Mind Matters

Peace of mind matters for your well-being. There are two things you can start doing right now to lower your stress.

First is mindfulness, which is simply paying attention to the present moment. Do you tend to dwell on the past? Or are you like me and spend much of your time worrying about the future? This is where much of our stress comes from. The present moment is usually somewhat pleasant.

Through practice you can train your brain to focus more on the here and now. All it takes is to start noticing when your thoughts are drifting and to bring them back. Your mind will wander. That’s OK; it’s completely natural. Just keep practicing bringing your thoughts back to the present.

The second tip for having greater peace of mind is to be grateful; to notice and appreciate what is good. As humans we have a negativity bias, so we tend to notice what’s bad. We are constantly on the lookout for potential danger, like a honking horn, a client who is upset, or a child’s bad grades.

This means we have to make an effort to notice what is good. One way to do this is “the 3 good things exercise”. Take a minute to write down three good things that have happened to you in the last 24 hours. It can be any small thing like a good dinner last night or running into an old friend or finishing a project.

Doing this exercise once a day has been found to significantly improve people’s happiness. All it takes is to create a routine so that you remember to think of what you are grateful for every day. Try it before you go to sleep at night or include your family and do the exercise together at dinner. Find what works for you and make a habit of counting your blessings.

Peace of mind matters. Increase yours by being mindful and appreciating all that is good.