Thoughts on Peace

I saw this this week and chucked to myself “…how fitting.”

I think we’ve all been there. Life kind of vomits in our lap, and we are left to clean up the chunky, rotten, rank mess. Greeeeaaattt.

I am so prone to wallow in my circumstance, and it’s something I truly have to fight to regain what I can’t live a day without, peace.

This week’s vomit was in the form of some vague test results from a routine doctor’s visit. “ABNORMAL: WE NEED TO DISCUSS YOUR RESULT” was what I read as I was walking out of the office at 5pm. The doctor’s office didn’t open the next morning until 9am, and I was left with an evening filled with a lethal combination: health scare + google. (I knew better than to so much as glance on WebMD).

Even without WebMD, some digital scholarly articles informed me that my worst case scenario is the dreaded “c” word. I’m scheduled for further tests soon, and I’m expecting to get to bottom of what is going on (not to worry…haha).

My intent of this blog post, however, is not to inform the world of the intimate details of my health, but to talk about how to find peace, when our mind’s homing device is set to worry.

I’ve definitely had my fair share of “life vomit” moments over the years. Honestly, I feel like the really gut-wrenching ones, as crazy as it sounds, I wouldn’t trade for anything. Yes, I have plenty of things that I regret, that I was in control of…but the moments that just hit you out of nowhere (as one of my friends endearingly named the “crappy, crap* moments of life”…maybe less politely) are moments that have truly shaped my faith.

I think faith is tricky, because it is one of the only virtues that a person can’t just conjure up on their own will. It has to be experienced, be felt. For me, it is these moments that I can hold onto, because it happened to me, and it is real. It wasn’t something someone else told me, it wasn’t something that I read, it was something that I experienced that no one could take away. Faith is trust. Strong faith is trust without doubt. And most of time for me, my doubt is manifested as worry.

As I look back on these chunky, stinky situations, I can always count on one thing. Some form of myself, whether it be my character, my relationships, my personality, my health, or my faith has benefitted. I am made better. I am made stronger. I am made more faithful. I am made more peaceful. That is a truth that I can hold onto the next time I feel like I am drowning in worry and doubt. I am privileged to lean on my own experiences, my own faith, in the outcome, that I will not only be okay, but I will be better.

Now “being better” never just happened automatically. I do think that life-altering situations call for change. It is our choice to let that change be positive change or negative change. Let me share with you some ways I have dealt with a bad situation that has helped my change be positive, and allowed my perspective to be full of peace:

-Prayer: most of the time these prayers were desperate, messy, or even mandatory for my next breath…and that’s okay.

Suggestion: When you don’t know what to pray…try this beautiful book of Psalms for Prayer by She Reads Truth.

-Wise council: there is nothing better than having someone on your team when going through crap; to listen, accompany, and point you in the right direction of what to do next. (Even if you have to pay for it…spoiler alert, counseling is the best money you’ll ever spend).

-Personal care: it’s okay to spend time on yourself. Whatever you do, do something you love…get a pedicure, host some friends for a dinner, go skateboarding, paint a picture, drive a backroad with the windows down and sing along…loudly.

Suggestion: My bridesmaids and I used this Beauty Face Mask the night before my wedding, and we all agreed our skin felt amazing in the morning.

-Getting outside: There is something about feeling smaller that helps put things into perspective for me. Hikes are great to not only be immersed in the beauty and mystery of nature, but also the natural endorphins of exercise help relax and ease my mind. Seeing the beauty of nature, and knowing that if God can take care of the birds in the trees, and that little caterpillar I almost stepped on, then how much more does he care for me.

Suggestion: www.alltrails.com allows you to search for hikes by your location

-Silly pet videos: duh…why wouldn’t it help?

Suggestion: Ask your friends to send you their all time favorite meme. Do it…now.

-Journaling: I couldn’t be a bigger advocate, or more inconsistent with it, honestly. But, gosh, does putting things on paper help. It get’s things out of my mind. I’m able to be honest, as gritty or ugly as it may be. Best of all, it lets me be more objective at looking at the root of the problem, and best choosing my next actions.

Suggestion: How beautiful is this “5 year journal set” from Rifle Paper Co.? #allthehearteyes (it’s kind of like how buying new work-out clothes makes you want to work-out)

I hope that the next time you are hit with a regurgitated mess, whether it be cancer, a car accident, death, a house fire, divorce, losing your job, or anything that is out of your control, you can remember the times that you’ve been made better. You can rely on that truth, embrace your situation, and let yourself become peace-filled in the process. You know what has happened in the past, you know what aspects of yourself have been made better because of what happened, so hold onto those truths, find peace in the outcome that you’re not only going to be okay, you’ll

b. better,

What are some things that help you become more peaceful when you’re worried? Leave a reply below, and let’s help each other be better.