What to do?

Achieving inner peace is intricately connected with two key elements: granting oneself permission (to be peaceful) and organizing one's internal world. Initially, it's crucial to recognise that mishandling life's pressures can lead to compulsive behaviours. Compulsion, in turn, generates momentum and subsequently a sense of powerlessness when we feel our life is tracking in unwanted directions. If our lives seem overly complicated, it's likely due to an overload of tasks on our to-do list.

When we find ourselves lacking peace or experiencing unhappiness, the tendency is to attribute blame to external situations or circumstances. This inclination arises because our focus is primarily on external factors. However, the pursuit of self-improvement, which yields peace and happiness as by-products, necessitates a shift in perspective. Instead of assigning blame externally, we have to consider what changes we can make internally to achieve the desired outcomes.

Feeling constantly pressured from 'outside' reveals that we've relinquished control over ourselves, allowing external factors to direct our lives and shape our attitudes. Behavioural patterns exist on a spectrum until they reach a point of a ‘disorder’, at which point some psychological intervention may be required. Compulsiveness also hinders us from examining the consequences of our actions in terms of our emotions and interactions with others.

If inner peace is a significant goal, it requires dedicated time and effort for full integration. Equally important is the need to balance task completion with maintaining emotional equilibrium. In small, consistent ways, we have to grant ourselves permission to prioritise peaceful thoughts ahead of actions. This may involve periodic pauses throughout the day to assess whether our thoughts empower us and how effectively we are organising and prioritising our needs. Inner peace should consistently hold a prominent place on our list of to-dos.