Tag: #innerpeace

Habits That Keep Me At Peace In A Digital World

by Ana-Alicia

Being on social media can have its drawbacks. It can create anxiety, frustration, and depression. It is easy to fall into the negativity trap when you immerse yourself into that world. I have been able to stay on social media and still have a peaceful mind and soul. How? I like to discuss the reasons that helped me stay sane and at peace. Some people detox, which is great for them, but I don’t necessarily feel the need, since it doesn’t negatively impact my life. These habits have made it easier to live peacefully without allowing social media to destroy my peace, or should I say. I haven’t allowed social media to destroy my positivity and peace.

  • Awareness-When it comes to mindfulness. Awareness is very important. This is also the case for my social media use. When I recognize that I am being wasteful, or I am starting to feel any uncomfortable emotions. I shut it off. When I start to feel negativity creep in. I take a step back, recognize where I am going, and revert back to where I want to be. I tell myself none of this is that serious, it is just social media, and I move forward. Being able to be aware of where my thoughts and emotions are going. Helps me pull away from negativity, and push toward a more positive and peaceful mindset.
  • Don’t engage in negativity-People can say some hurtful things on social media. It is easy to engage and react. There are times I start typing something, but then I become aware of what I am doing, delete it, and move on. I try to ignore negativity on social media. I rather engage in positive things. I rather use it to fangirl over my favorite kpop groups, look at pictures of nature and plants, read inspirational quotes, watch inspirational or funny videos. When you put your energy into the positive aspects. You don’t have much time for the negative aspects.
  • Acceptance-This is another big point of mindfulness, and a huge way of keeping yourself at peace. There will be comments that upset and frustrate you. The news can be depressing. I follow lots of news on SNS. Not everyone has the same set of values as I do. Not everyone has the same opinions as I do, I recognize this. There are some depressing things that show up on my timeline, but as I recognize there is bad things in this world. There are also good things, and plenty of things to appreciate. Life sucks, but life is also good. I feel bad for the people suffering in this world, but getting depressed doesn’t help them. I can’t help them much. I will just focus on the things I can help, which is my happiness, and helping others seek happiness and peace. The world is filled with good and bad things. That is part of life. Accepting this can help you navigate the digital world much better.
  • Objectivity-Do not take things personally! Majority of the people on social media are strangers. Their opinion should not have much affect on you. Everyone has different perspectives. Social media is not about being the moral police. I am not perfect, so I will not judge others for their words. Bullying others to fall in line does not make you a happier person. I may disagree with others, and their opinions may be hurtful to others, but that is their opinion. Most of the time I can’t change it, so I rather just keep moving. I recognize we are all different, and have a different set of values. Once you recognize this it will be easier to navigate social media without feeling anger, resentment and frustration.
  • Seeing the grey-Recognize not everything is black and white, all or nothing, right or wrong. Look at understanding other perspectives. My opinion may be right, but for another opinion it can be right to. Open yourself up to other opinions. You may be surprised that you agree a bit with them. Another opinion from myself doesn’t equate to a wrong opinion, it is just different. Opening yourself up to different opinions makes things easier, and also a learning experience. It makes you more understanding and compassionate, which will make you a more relaxed and happier individual.
  • No need for validation-I try not to use social media for validation. It is nice to get noticed, but I normally just use it to express myself, that’s it. There is so much freedom in recognizing you don’t need others approval to create a post. I honestly love not having a lot of eyes on me. It is easier to post what I want, and not feel any pressure.
  • Step away- It is important that you don’t use these platforms all the time. When it is getting too overwhelming. I shut it off. When I recognize I am just wasting time there and mindlessly scrolling. I get off. When I am out. I don’t use it. Social media is not my life. I do other things to occupy my life, which is important to staying at peace. Get out, read, be creative. There is so much more out there. Once I step away. I realize how unimportant things are on social media. The things that upset me don’t matter as much. Real life is more important. This brings me back to reality, and brings me back to a peaceful place.

All of these habits have made my social media experience much more easier to deal with. I very rarely feel any stress, or sadness from being online. Social media is a platform for people to express themselves. It isn’t my life, or your life. The real world is out there. Explore that more, rather than putting your attention on a virtual world. It isn’t that serious. I hope these habits were helpful, and that you learn to use social media with a more mindful heart. I hope you continue to find peace, happiness and love in your lives.

A Society of Overstimulation

by Ana-Alicia

It just seems more and more difficult to focus, and to do the things that need to be done, be it for work, or for our own self-fulfillment. The digital/technological age has made it hard for us to just focus on one thing. I sometimes find it hard to sit through a 20 minute Youtube video without looking for something else to stimulate my brain.

It has become increasingly hard for us to do the tasks that need to be done, or to just simply sit and be alone, read, mediate, exercise, be creative. We just rather scroll, and watch videos or movies. It is just so much easier to do so. It doesn’t take a lot of energy to do these things. The things that can be beneficial for our mental and physical health takes work, so people tend to choose the latter.

Getting ourselves to focus is hard. Getting ourselves to get motivated and take action takes work. Getting myself to continue writing my book takes work, but I continue to remind myself, or be reminded that the end goal is most important. It doesn’t matter how small the step is, just do something.

I have found reading to be quite easy and pleasurable to do recently. I wanted to read, but never took the steps to read, until recently. Now that I am reading more. I want to read more. So the time I use to scroll. I use to do something more meaningful for myself, which is read. The power to scroll loses its appeal. It is all about learning to build these habits, even starting small makes a difference.

I was just watching a video of how overstimulation is ruining our lives, and it prompt me to write this. I mean, we all know it isn’t good for us to be on social media, watch TV, procrastinate, and do nothing that helps us grow, but we still do it, because it is easy, why not? The things we want in life takes work, and who wants to do that!? No one does, but it has to be done, if you want improvement in your life, if you want inner peace, or if you want to reach your goals.

Overstimulation is ubiquitous in our lives. Doing one task has become incredibly difficult. Enjoying the simple things have become incredibly difficult. People need their quick dopamine fix. Searching for the next thing to entertain them, rather than finding things on their own to entertain themselves. With the likes of Tik Tok(I believe to be the worse SNS platform) that has made it possible.

I fall for this trap, so I am not hear to preach to you all. I am part of this need for overstimulation. It is ingrained in us. I have a TV, computer, Alexa, and phone in my room. So I am surrounded by over stimulating objects. I do try to use one at a time, and be intentional with how I use them to the best I can.

I now have my phone behind me, out of sight for now. I think it is best when working on a task, or doing something mindful that you keep your phone out of sight. It is easy to get dragged into the notification whole. It is also easier to pick it up, and look at it just to check if you have any notifications, man I do this a lot. I was able to do some writing today, and I started reading a new book as well. I also did my Saturday morning plant maintenance routine as well. I believe it was a successful proactive Saturday morning.

I am just trying to be more mindful, and trying to focus on one task at a time. This isn’t easy, especially watching videos, but it can be done with a certain amount of will. We can easily be distracted. I know I can, so I want to take this day to be intentional with how I put my focus on to things. One thing at a time. Be proactive. Be intentional. Keep distance from overstimulation. Things to remind myself, and hopefully I can remind you as well.

Take A Step Back to be Mindful

by Ana-Alicia

The past couple days have been a bit stressful. I have been glued to the screen, seen a bit too much negativity, but I also did see hope for a better tomorrow. I thought today will be a nice day to take a break from it, and get back to being more mindful. It has been really nice these days, so I took the opportunity to step outside for some fresh air, and view the beautiful scenery around me. This walk, along with doing a bit of running, yoga, and some journaling helped put me in a better place mentally and physically.

There will be times when you step away from mindfulness practices, but you can always step back, and reclaim your peace of mind. Journal to get your thoughts out, and confront them. Take a walk outside to get fresh air, and see the beauty of this world. Exercise to get some movement, and strengthen your body, and to increase our feel-good hormones(dopamine, serotonin, endorphins). Practice yoga to stretch and relax the body & mind. Meditate to calm the mind and gain clarity. Work on your goals, and be productive to gain a sense of accomplishment.

If you are feeling a bit stressed or down. Just remember that a bit of mindfulness can help bring you back to a better place mentally and physically. You may fall off track, but it will always be there when you need it. Giving yourself space to be present, and giving yourself space to focus on you is truly important, and something we should remember to do. I allowed too many of others opinions to consume my mind. Time to give my thoughts a time to shine. Always remember to look within yourself.

Finding Joy & Peace

by Ana-Alicia

Whatever can spark joy and happiness in your life, however small it is, look for ways to implement them into your daily life. I think it is important to find joy and peace in life however way you possibly can.

As I mention in other posts, work has been a struggle lately. I am exhausted, tired and overwhelmed from work. I don’t always look forward to going, or look forward to the work day weeks. I also don’t want these feelings about work to spill into my everyday life, the times I am away from work. I don’t want negative thoughts and feelings to pervade my life, so I try to find ways to bring some enjoyment to my life.

One thing I enjoy is drinking a cup of Dunkin coffee before work. Coffee gives me energy. It also puts me in a better mood. This helps get me through the work day, and actually makes me look forward to Mondays and Fridays(those are the days I get coffee). It is a nice little treat before work. Any little thing that can bring happiness is all that matters.

I also have been into buying plants. I truly enjoy having them around my room. Just looking at them, brings me joy. I usually go to a plant nursery on Saturdays to pick new ones out. I really enjoy just looking around seeing all the pretty plants around me, and picking the ones that I like. I truly enjoy being surrounded by plants at home. Coming home after an exhausting day to my lovely plants is something that brings life back to me.

One thing that helps keep me at peace is doing meditation before going to work. I try to do a session to calm my mind and body, before I head into the craziness of work. It definitely helps calm me down more. It helps me handle the stressors of work much better. I still get stressed, but not as stressed if I didn’t meditate. It also puts me in a more positive, happier mood going into work. As I mention in my last post, I also try to take deep breaths whenever I feel overwhelmed as well. This also helps.

Some things in life can be stressful and difficult, but not everything in life is that way. There will be times of joy and peace that you can embrace and enjoy when it arrives. It is all about making the time to do so. Be in the moment. We allow our minds to be preoccupied with the bad parts of our lives. We forget to take time to enjoy the good moments.

I work majority of the time. We spend most of our time at work. I get how being at a job you don’t enjoy can be a bummer, but we can’t allow our feelings towards work, or any difficult part in our lives pervade our mind into a negative place. Now I actually don’t dislike my job. It just gets overwhelming. All jobs have stressful parts to it. If you don’t enjoy your work, than it may be time to get out of your comfort zone, and look else where, because as I mentioned, your job makes up most of your life. It can be hard to enjoy life, if you don’t enjoy what you do.

We should try to strive to find joy and peace in life when we can. It is important for our mental health and well-being. It can be something little, something big, or in between. Just find something that can lift you up, and help keep you in the moment. To appreciate and embrace the joys and peaceful moments in life.

Years go by fast, months go by fast, weeks go by fast, and so do days. We are already near the new year. We try to rush by the days(I do this as well), but maybe we can use everyday to find some joy and peace in it. Maybe we can learn from the difficulties of that day as well. We should learn to embrace each day, and take the moments of that day in as much as we can, because sooner, rather than later, the years will have passed by and you truly haven’t lived, or enjoyed life as much as you wanted. Be mindful of the moments in life. Enjoy, find peace, and live as fully as you can.

Give Yourself Space(Little Reminder)

by Ana-Alicia

Give yourself space to allow thoughts to flow, creativity to cultivate, to immerse yourself in the moment and to check in with your emotions. It is important to get in tune with yourself from time to time. We live in a busy, distracted world. It is easy to get caught up in it. Finding the calm and silence as much as we can can be good for the soul.

I usually like to sit on the comfy sofa of my living room and just sit there. I like looking out my window. Listening to the sounds around me. Allowing my thoughts to flow through me. I always find some type of inspiration or creative outlet through this practice. This space also gives me the time to appreciate the things around me, and in life in general, also the people. I truly enjoy doing this before going to the noisy environment of work. It helps recharge me for the day.

We spend most of our time focusing on others, but we should remember to put the focus back on ourselves. You may think you are too busy, but anyone can spare at least five minutes to do this. You may be surprised how wonderful the experience can be. So what does giving yourself space cultivate?

  • Ability to be in the moment
  • Awareness and understanding of emotions
  • Self awareness
  • Self-growth
  • Inspiration
  • Creativity
  • Appreciation
  • Clarity
  • Problem solving
  • Recharges oneself
  • inner peace
  • Peace of mind

Finding Peace, Joy & Happiness

by Ana-Alicia

These days it can be hard to find the good in life. The media is consumed with negativity at the moment. This is why it is important to step away and take time to be mindful. I went for a lovely walk at a park. The scenery was beautiful. It made me see the beauty and good of this world. The Earth is quite beautiful if you really look at it. Moments like these bring peace, joy and happiness. Find those moments that bring you these things. Our state of mind is very important. We must remember to remain at peace, so we can continue to live the best way we can. I always find clarity, inspiration and meaning through my walks. Nature is truly a beautiful thing.

Take Time For Silence

by Ana-Alicia

I spent my morning being in silence(away from distractions), and being mindful. I feel amazing, refreshed, relaxed, and at peace from doing this. Mindful time is good for the soul. I read this passage this morning, and thought it was perfectly timed with my mindset at the moment. I was able to be inspired and creative, while enjoying, and embracing the quiet. It is hard to be inspired with noise and distractions. It is nice to give your mind space to be free.

I wasn’t able to find inspiration recently, but having my mindful time has invoked my inspiration. I truly appreciate this time of silence. Try to give yourself times of silence to clear your head. It is truly a lovely experience. I lacked this yesterday, too distracted, but getting back to mindful silence is a beautiful experience. It is hard to sit in quiet, but once you are able to do so. You realize the beauty of it. Have a lovely mindful day everyone.IMAG0455

Mindfulness Reminder

by Ana-Alicia

I absolutely love reading my mindfulness books, because they provide lovely reminders to me, sometimes the reminders are really helpful for me at the moment. Some reminders come at the right time, like this one. I read this one today, and I really needed this reminder. I spent too much time scrolling today. I realized I lacked too much mindful time today. I decided I will stay off the computer, and phone for the rest of the day, and practice mindfulness. I need space to be creative, to be inspired, which I am lacking at the moment.

It is really good to have daily inspirational reminders to keep you on track, and to put things into perspective. We get lost in the noise that we forget to enjoy the silence. Time to unplug, and embrace the loveliness of the quiet. My mind needs it. It is important for our peace of mind to unplug every once in awhile, especially when we had too much noise for the day.IMAG0433

Quote Thursday

by Ana-Alicia

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It is always interesting what thoughts come to mind when I see inspirational/motivational quotes. My thoughts from this one.

Immerse in the silence and be mindful. There are great lessons learned in silence. Reflection, insight, clarity, and knowledge can be gained from silence. Try not to be afraid of it, embrace it instead.

Now think about what this quote brings to mind from your stand point?