Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin with You
“When things change inside you, things change around you."
—Unknown
The holiday season is upon us!
I hope you and your family had a Happy Thanksgiving. For many of us, Thanksgiving was quieter than usual. I celebrated with my immediate family instead of our large extended family. Although I missed seeing everyone, it gave us an opportunity for a more intimate gathering. We each shared what we were grateful for this year. Some tears of gratitude were shed.
It has been a challenging year, but one thing that I am surely grateful for, and others in my family echoed, has been the chance to slow down and experience peace, quiet and greater presence.
More than ever, I have come to understand that peace is an inside job. No matter what is happening externally, creating peace is up to me.
Peace begins at home. Your body is your most intimate home. It is where your soul resides on earth. To feel at peace in your body, you must be able to calm your nervous system. This is a skill, one that requires intention and practice.
Overwhelm, anxiety, anger and depression are signs that your nervous system is distressed. To calm your nervous system, you first need to notice that you are stressed. Then you need to pause, ground yourself and breathe with consciousness until you feel a sense of ease and stillness in your body.
When a distressed state is your way of life, you may need help with learning how to regulate your nervous system. This is one of the primary ways in which I help my clients. One of the “tools” that I use is touch. Gentle, caring touch helps to ground you in your body and soothes your system.
The power of touch is evident when we experience a crying infant who is then held, gently patted and soothed. The “cry” is the child’s sign of a distressed nervous system. For healthy development, it is imperative that caregivers respond to an infant’s distress signals.
Like an infant, you, too, need to respond to your distress signals. This is called, “self-care”. It is how you can create inner peace. In a state of peace, your mind is clear. Wise choices that are in alignment with your truth can be made. You are empowered to move from love rather than fear.
Growing up Catholic, I learned the song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin with Me.” Its message is one that I endeavor to live by. I hope you do too. If not, I wonder, “What gets in your way?”
A view from our Thanksgiving dinner table, where we shared what we have been grateful for during this challenging year.