The Sunday News
Selulweyinkosi Mhlanga
IT seems like an impossible task. How can one find peace in the middle of disorder? Chaos is the very opposite of peace or rather the absence of it but it is still possible to find peace, no matter the circumstances around you.
What is your chaos? It’s tempting to respond with the year 2020 . . . this is the year when people who did not know were capable of being scared and could panic were challenged and shaken. Chaos for someone could be the absence or loss of loved ones, the breakup with their significant other, a job loss or lack of money or it could be as serious as trying to hold on to dear life in a health crisis.
The past year threw a lot of people off balance, the panic, uncertainty, fear of the unknown, loneliness, sadness and depression really got to an all-time low for probably a lot of people and many are yet to recover from its effects and after-effects.
This, on top of everyday life challenges exposed many to mental health challenges, others to other health problems like hypertension and sadly led others to suicide. Life throws at us challenges that are different in nature but whatever your chaos is, you have it within you to find peace regardless of your situation.
Powerlessness
The worst feeling any human being can have is that of powerlessness. The feeling can leave one numb and helpless with all possible solutions seemingly useless. From this feeling of powerlessness stems all the negative emotions one can imagine. When your mind feels defeated, there is no way it can bring about new ways of tackling challenges.
It would simply give up and give in to despair and ‘fate’. Once the mind gives up your body follows, hence all the negative emotions that turn to ailments and further worsen the situation.
Power yourself up
It is obvious that you cannot control your circumstances and tragedies around you. What you do have control over, is yourself. Have you ever been around noisy people but you were undisturbed by them? Have you ever drifted off to sleep on a noisy bus or when there was a party next door? I know I have . . . I live in the high-density suburbs. That’s the approach you should take when there is chaos around you, focus on yourself and regard everything else as noise.
Start by telling yourself that you will get through this. You may not know how or when but just assure yourself that you will. What’s the worst thing that has ever happened to you? Did you not get out of it alive? Dumb question, I know but the point is you are still here and you will get through this as well. Start to see the light at the end of the tunnel before it appears. It surely will dawn at some point, and that may be sooner if you are not concentrating on the gloomy circumstances around you. In the meantime, start to build a vision of how it will be like when things get back to normal.
Start rebuilding
Many books were written during the 2020 lockdowns, some people found new passions and careers while others were complaining of the status quo. What you focus on is what will become a part of your life. As much as it is normal to worry, do not allow it to take away all your zest for life to the point of powerlessness. What is of importance is that you focus your energy on what you can do at that point and you will start to get ideas of more things you can do to achieve inner peace.
Inner peace is from within
The reason why you can cope in a hostile environment is because the peace you can achieve comes from within you.
It is up to you to choose whether you want to entertain the stress that comes with the chaos or peace.
When you choose peace, it doesn’t mean that you ignore completely your situation, it means that you acknowledge it but you are not scared by it. Choose to let go of what doesn’t serve you and start treating yourself to the peace within you.
Treating oneself isn’t just about food but it also means being kind to oneself, listening to that still voice within you begging you to be calm. Have you noticed how much energy it takes to get angry, react negatively? That is because you will be fighting the peace in you, the natural you. It doesn’t take much to find your peace. Sometimes it means doing nothing until you get to that point.
Sometimes it means recalling your favourite moments; the smile of that loved one, the music you love, that vacation you enjoyed, daydreaming, relishing your achievements or simply appreciating what you have and the peace you know you have in you and can get to at any point when you remember to tap into it.
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