Tranquility.

“The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.” —Norman Vincent Peale.

If you’d ask me, I’d somewhat say that peace is highly underrated. Underrated in the sense that most people do not pay heed to it as a virtue, that it is.

Well, what is peace?

Peace is the quiet and calm state of the mind and this means that as humans, peace is somewhat essential or plays a key role in our lives as individuals. With peace, you’ve got happiness and I mean genuine happiness. There’s also this unexplainable feeling that it brings into our lives. A sort of reassurance within ourselves, even amid our fears.

Without peace, well there’s no balance and there’s no sync in our lives. This means that without peace present, things will or don’t go well. That’s a simple truth and a fact, that we always throw under the bus and I fall into that category. Well, not in recent times though.

Let me give you a little insight into my life;

I’m a basic introvert. I keep to myself oftentimes and I’m always up there in my head. I overthink and heaven knows that it’s tough living the lifestyle I live. I’m always doubting, always second-guessing and it gets stressful if I’m being honest. You’d realize that I have no peace if we’re being honest cause I’m filled with anxiety and dread, if not 70 but 60 percent of the time.

Every action, every step, or move I make is always followed by the question, “what if?” and this makes it hard for me to make decisions oftentimes. I’m always stressed out when it comes to issues that involve decision-making. Be it petty things such as my outfits, food choices, or major things such as my lifestyle, my future, or my career path. It’s stressful and I won’t lie to you about that aspect.

The majority of the time, this anxiety that I feel overwhelms me and I just shut out in all spheres. Shutting out, implying that I get into my headspace and at that moment, I just want to be left alone to wallow in my misery. In my pain. Tears are the order of the day. The main course, side dish, and dessert.

So I ask you (the readers), where’s the peace? Cause in the place of the peace that’s supposed to bring me to balance, there lies a dissidence.

Going into 2022, I promised myself one thing. I told myself that I was going to find this peace that I’ve lacked for as long as I remember and bring it in. Bring in that harmony, that sync that I needed to become a better version of myself.

The journey hasn’t been easy. Who am I kidding? After all, history has it that Rome wasn’t built in a day and you know, that’s the beautiful thing.

Achieving peace is a step-by-step process. You run this process at your own pace. There’d be setbacks, but the ball’s in your court. You’ve got two options, you either yield to the setbacks, or you dust and pick yourself up to continue the journey ahead.

It is without a doubt that life is two-sided. In life, there’s pleasure and there’s pain. That’s where the concept of yin and yang comes in. You cannot have highs without your lows. Good cannot exist without bad. Life’s unpredictable. Today, you’ve got it all figured out and then the next day, you don’t. Once you come to terms with these concepts, that’s where your journey to peace begins.

These past few months, I’ve had my fair share of setbacks but what amazes me, is the fact that I’ve picked myself every time. I dusted myself in those times and didn’t yield to defeat. Before these times, I’d have given in to defeat but here, I am surviving and going stronger than ever.

Peace exists in different ways and forms. It might be you, keeping to yourself and being in your space. It might be you, going out more frequently. With friends or you basking in the beauty of nature. Peace might be you just let go. Letting go of things you think to serve you when in actuality, they don’t. Peace is that dynamic and that’s what we fail to realize.

Also, with peace comes self-love. With peace, comes a little bit of selfishness cause you learn to put yourself first above others. Especially, if you’ve been one to ignore yourself and put others before you. Peace is very important and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You should learn to protect your peace, always. Cause with peace, everything and I mean absolutely everything falls into place.

If you’re like me seeking and finding peace, I’d say something to you, trust the process. Trust the journey. Give it time. Give yourself a chance. Everything’s bound to fall in place. You just put in the work. Do it for yourself, most importantly.

“Peace is an inside job.”