How to Attain Inner Peace During Chaos

Striving for inner peace in the midst of the drama, chaos, or any experience that is less than desirable is difficult for the most mindful person. In many situations, we can fend off the pressure of being drawn into the experience; however, some situations or experiences reach our vulnerability and it is hard not to be sucked into the attachment and cause a reaction versus a response.

Practicing detachment is a necessity, not an option if you want to live your life in mindful awareness. Detachment assists you in observation and evaluation of a strong feeling or emotion you are experiencing. These feelings and emotions are what trigger your response.

In meditation class, I use this analogy: You are on a train platform in a subway station, you do not jump on a moving train, so why do we jump onto (attach ourselves) a thought, feeling or emotion that is destructive? Why not observe your thought, feeling or emotion as it passes by; and decide, “Is this how I want to respond?” If not, you have the quick second to make the change.

Learn to observe what is coming up and process and let it pass as the train and let go of it. Conceptually, this is easy to understand but applying in the midst of a challenge is much more difficult. That is why it is important to create a practice of quiet stillness, which may include meditation, to help cultivate a clearer picture of ourselves objectively. Practice learning to view life from a lens with an expansive, panoramic view rather than seeing life so close you cannot see all sides of what is being experienced.

Use this link for a guided six minute contemplative exercise to help you foster this mindset: https://youtu.be/dqn8ijrZAiQ