Peace comes with acceptance and letting go. Acceptance of things as they are, of people as they are, of life as it is. Letting go of the past.

When we think of peace, or are asked what peace is, it is likely that our thoughts and response will centre around peace being the opposite of war. War and peace. Peace is seen to be an end to hostilities. Peace comes when the fighting stops, when the battle is over, when there is a ceasefire or when a truce has been called. In this perception of peace there is a struggle which is only relieved when an agreement has been reached, or when one side has won and the other has lost, conceding defeat in an act of surrender. We associate surrender with giving in, giving up, quitting. We are not keen on this as it can feel like a resigned fate: it is not something we want to do, we feel like we have no choice. It is easy to see then why surrender is something which we endeavour to avoid at all costs, as it engenders a sense of being weak and powerless, at a disadvantage, subjugated, dominated by an oppressive, external force.

Look in the dictionary and the first entry for peace is: “freedom from noise or anxiety”. It has nothing to do with an external battle out there in the world, and everything to do with our inner world. The greatest noise we experience is the daily, constant, incessant chatter of our minds. Whether you have a kangaroo mind that jumps from one random thought to another, or an ongoing internal monologue akin to a sport’s commentary talking you through your day, peace comes when you are able to quell the noise, when you are able to extend and expand the moments of silence in-between, when the quiet space grows to become experienced more regularly and readily, when it is more easily available. Peace comes when we let go of our anxieties and preoccupations about the past and the future, when we accept things that have been, that we cannot change, and when we accept things as they currently are. Peace is there when we are able to embrace the present moment and live it in fully. Peace is present when there is an absence of noise and anxiety. For this, yes, there is an element of surrender involved. But is is a surrender that is positive, a surrender that entails giving up the chatter and noise of our minds and letting go of our preoccupations and anxieties. Surrender understood in this way, brings freedom.

There are two main things that have helped me achieve peace in my life, and I had a very busy, noisy mind. They are mindfulness and art. These two activities have proved key in enabling me to slow down and become more present. Compared to where I was, which was very stressed, very preoccupied, very agitated and uneasy, through both mindfulness and art in particular, as well as other reading and work I have done to gain greater insight, grow in self-awareness, to accept and let go, I now enjoy an overall sense of peace and calm every day.

Mindfulness helps me to be in, or come back to the present moment - to check back in when I’ve checked out into my head again. Mindfulness brings me back to noticing what’s around me, what I can see, to pay attention to sounds, what I can hear, to use my senses to feel, to touch, to taste, to smell, all of which reconnects me with the here and now.

Art switches me off and focuses me. I am just engaged with the task at hand, which is the core essence of mindfulness. I am so immersed in what I am doing that thoughts don’t have much room to intrude, and if they do it’s fleeting as I return my focus back to what I am working on. Engaging creativity and imagination transports us somewhere else, it frees us, it lets us escape the confines of the mind, to dream, to explore, to play. Art is extremely therapeutic, both in the practice itself and in enabling us to get out things we may not be able to convey in words, to express our emotions, the inner workings of our subconscious mind. There is no requirement for art to be a masterpiece, anything goes. It allows what’s in to come out and be released, bringing a sense of relief and relaxation. In creating something out of nothing, it also brings a great sense of satisfaction and achievement. I did that. Brilliant!

Experience peace…

Accept. Let go. Pause. Stop. Look. Listen. Breathe. Notice what’s going on around you. Bring your attention back to the present moment. Find the still, silent space between words and rest there.