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“We don’t realize that somewhere within all of us, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace” – Elizabeth Gilbert
Over the past week or so, I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of being mentally calm.
Finding Mental Calm and Zen
I have to say that athletes seem to be the best example of this for me. In particular, the mental strength combined with mental calm that my personal trainer has blows my mind. I feel the same way about my swimming instructor.
Calm. Composed. Driven.
Zen, for lack of a better word. Basic definitions (like Wiki) tell us that Zen is a form of Buddhism that focuses on meditation and intuition. What I mean when I use the word is calm, but composed. Centered. Balanced, but driven.
Zen Habits
Well, I first heard of the book Zen Habits in the documentary The Minimalists. It’s been in my “to read” pile since then. Leo Barbauta is a “minimalist” with a family of several kids – six, I think! So, he talks about adapting minimalism to fit a family lifestyle.
Decluttering is part of the process, I know. I’m looking forward to reading the book and finding out the rest!
The Calm In Travel
Sometimes we may think of travelling as hectic, but at least in my experience travel can be calming. For me, it’s soothing to hike through the mountains, breathing in fresh air, or get lost in a crowded market in a place that’s completely new to me.
So maybe it’s about finding what works for you. Of course it’s almost impossible to travel all the time. So taking as many “mini-breaks” as I can to check out totally different places helps me balance out my hectic lifestyle. Being able to access cheaper flights to amazing nearby destinations is part of the reason I live in Europe!
Ambition & Mental Calm: Oxymorons?
Are they faking it?
How can we find more peace?
3 More Mental Calm Ideas
Here are my favourites:
It’s always a good idea to be grateful for what we have, although accepting what we’re not able to change is more of a challenge that I can express.
2. “Squash The Negative Self-Talk”
It seems that I’ve picked the ones I find most challenging as “my favourites”. Sometimes, we have to silence that voice in the back of our head that is talking to us like we are the enemy. Oh, how I wish I could do that!
3. Disconnect.
Disconnecting is so important if we want to reach our goals.
Actually, I have to point out a small cultural difference here, as a Canadian living in Barcelona. I’m off to Canada for a few weeks near the end of June (for the first time in 4 years!). Every time I’d go on holidays to other places while living in Canada, trainers would say “Remember to bring your protein powder, get in x number of workouts, etc, etc…”
Want to know what my trainer (the one that’s responsible for meal plans and measurements) said about my trip?
“Remember to disconnect from everything, enjoy life, go hiking”.
Don’t you love that? Despite the intensity, they are giving me permission to relax, to be calm for a few weeks. Will I listen? We’ll see 😉 I love the idea though – that enjoying the process, and enjoying life is as important as the goals.
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Well explained this article. It has a lot of information. It helped me to understand a lot of concepts, Thanks
View CommentI’m so glad I could help!
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