To prioritize your peace means to prioritize your mental health, and avoid negativity and negative energy. When you prioritize your peace, you do yourself and others a favor — your light shines brighter and illuminates the world around you.
Unfortunately, not everyone gets this. Whether it’s because of guilt, low self-esteem, or a scarcity mindset, some people believe it’s selfish to prioritize their peace, even though it’s not.
Let’s have a look at why.
There is nothing wrong with prioritizing your peace
Naturally, we all desire a peaceful life. We all want to protect our mental and spiritual health.
But then guilt gets in the way.
“Isn’t it selfish to prioritize our own peace? Shouldn’t we be more concerned about other people’s peace?”
“And if it is right to prioritize our peace, then why is it that most people just don’t do it?”
All these thoughts reflect limiting beliefs. They don’t reflect the truth. Because the truth is…
When you prioritize your peace, everyone (you and those around you) is in a much better situation. It’s a win-win situation.
But there is this thing called scarcity mindset which can lead you to think that each time you gain something — in this case, peace of mind — then others lose it.
As if the total amount of peace of mind available on planet Earth was limited.
That’s ridiculous, right? But that’s exactly what goes on in our head if we have a scarcity mindset.
The same works for money. Some people subconsciously believe that if they made more money, they would be taking money from others, so they end up sabotaging their own success.
Inner peace leads to outer peace
I’m sure you’ve heard it many times — your outer world is a reflection of your inner world.
It’s not always true, of course. But in general, that’s a pretty accurate explanation of why inner peace eventually creates outer peace as well.
Those with a higher level of inner peace, those who take care of their mental health, create a better world; not just for themselves, but for everyone around them.
Put it this way — if each and every one of us prioritized their peace, this would be a better world.
Because unnecessary suffering (physical and mental) would be reduced, or eliminated altogether in some cases.
You can’t love others until you love yourself
Just like you can’t make others feel good unless you are in a positive mental state.
Just like you can’t truly help others and contribute to the world unless you are in the condition to do so.
The brighter your light, the more you can illuminate the world.
Anything you wish to give must be yours first. This includes emotions, wisdom, and awareness. It also includes money and material items, for that matter.
Learn to prioritize your peace, and you’ll have the power to create peace in other people’s lives as well.
How to prioritize your peace
Six tips to attract positivity and peace of mind (and avoid negativity and unnecessary stress). In no particular order:
1. Pay attention to your own thoughts
First of all, are you aware of the incessant stream of thoughts that’s in your head?
Most people are not. Which is understandable.
But through practices like meditation and mindfulness (or even just self awareness), you can gradually become more aware of your own thoughts.
Then, you can try to identify thoughts that are unhelpful, that trigger stress or negative emotions. Those are the thoughts you want to either ignore or challenge.
This alone can make a big difference.
Even found yourself thinking in circles, worrying about things that would never actually happen?
That’s a perfect example of your mind working against you. To prioritize your peace, you must first learn to use your mind rather than be used by it.
2. Work on your spirituality
Prioritizing your peace is not selfish. Working on your spirituality is not a waste of time.
Literally every single person that I’ve met that was more “spiritual” than the average person would also be happier, calmer, and mentally stronger than the average person.
But… what is spirituality, exactly?
There is no standard definition, but generally we call spiritual anything that doesn’t refer to the tangible world, that goes beyond it.
Examples of practices you can use to cultivate your spirituality are…
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Spiritual books
- Journaling
- Time in nature
3. Stop feeling guilty
I already mentioned the emotion of guilt plays a big role when it comes to finding inner peace (and mental health in general).
Not all mental problems are obvious. Even issues like severe depression can be hidden or easily ignored or overlooked. Guilt is one of those issues.
Now, I’m not saying the feeling of guilt is as debilitating as severe depression, or extreme panic disorders.
But there are quite a few people out there who self sabotage, who limit their own happiness, who live a life that’s not meant for them simply because they suffer from guilt.
These people subconsciously believe that they don’t deserve happiness, that they are not worthy of it.
Inner peace and guilt cannot coexist, so remind yourself: you deserve inner peace, you deserve to make it a priority.
4. Exercise, eat healthy, etc.
Body and mind are interconnected. This is why my fourth tip is to also take care of your physical health.
Nurture your body with the right nutrients. Stay hydrated. Spend time outside and exercise, or at least move your body in some way, because we were not designed to sit still sixteen hours a day.
Ever noticed that after a short walk you tend to feel better, more peaceful? Ever noticed how your mind seems to be clear after you move your body?
That’s why some people like to exercise early in the morning — so that they can feel better for the rest of the day.
You don’t need to do that, of course. But take care of your health and you’ll find your peace of mind will improve, too.
5. Choose your friends carefully
If you’re surrounded by toxic people, fake friends, energy vampires — good luck prioritizing your peace. It’s impossible.
There are ways to deal with them, and you may find yourself in situations where you cannot avoid them (e.g. your workplace).
But when it comes to your friends and relationships, you get to choose who you spend your time with.
And if you find that any of these people drain your energy or make you feel worse in general, it’s probably time to take a break.
There is no reason whatsoever to spend time with individuals who make it harder for you to find peace, whatever it means to you.
You don’t always need to cut toxic people out of your life, but you do need to prioritize who you spend your time with. People’s energy and attitude is contagious — choose people who prioritize peace as well!
6. Practice gratitude
Lastly, try to find ways to be more grateful every single day.
You can keep a gratitude journal, or thank the universe (or whatever you believe in), or simply pay attention to all the good things in your life and never take them for granted.
Gratitude naturally leads to inner peace and is one of the easiest and fastest ways to feel happier.
And it’s not a fake feeling. By practicing gratitude, you simply choose to focus on the positive rather than the negative.
You choose to appreciate what you have rather than obsess over what you don’t have. Which is smart.
Prioritize your peace quotes
We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
Dalai Lama
The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.
Norman V. Peale
Determine your priorities and focus on them.
Eileen McDargh
Whoever values peace of mind and the health of the soul will live the best of all possible lives.
Marcus Aurelius
Sometimes you have to know what’s best for you and your life, not what’s best for everybody else.
Unknown
Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.
Eleanor Brownn
Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.
Dalai Lama
Don’t search for anything except peace. Try to calm the mind. Everything else will come on its own.
Baba Hari Das
Learn to sit back and observe. Not everything needs a reaction.
Unknown
If there’s no inner peace, people can’t give it to you. The husband can’t give it to you. Your children can’t give it to you. You have to give it to you.
Linda Evans
Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.
Brian Tracy
A beautiful and important read. Thank you for sharing. Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to feel joy and peace. Getting better at this every day!