You can learn to be serene – and thus go through life much calmer, more relaxed and healthier. Our tips for inner peace will help.
What is serenity?
Basically, serenity is the ability to influence one's own inner attitude and to change this to general calm – in every situation. No matter how hectic it is around you – if you are really calm inside, stress and worries simply bounce off you. This is easiest for generally optimistic people. But everyone can learn serenity.
Loss of control versus composure
Unpleasant situations make it quicker for us to lose our inner calm and to behave differently in certain situations than we actually want because we lose control over our emotions. On the other hand, those who are truly relaxed can also find something positive in negative situations. Instead of thinking: I'm going to be late for my appointment, the calm person's thought is: Now I have a little more time to mentally prepare for the meeting and am less excited.
Why is it so important to learn serenity?
Serenity has many advantages:
- More relaxed handling of stress
- Difficult decisions are easier to make
- External influences are less shocking
- Dealing with blows of fate improves
- You are generally healthier physically and mentally
- You live longer, as studies show
How can I learn serenity?
First of all, it is important to know that you do not have to go straight to a secluded monastery and learn serenity from monks. That would even be counterproductive – because in order to be able to train inner serenity, we first have to get into situations in which we are exposed to stress. And our everyday life offers plenty of opportunities for this.
If you want to learn serenity, you should first find out which situations actually stress you. The easiest way to do this is to make a list – without lying to yourself. People walking slowly in front of you can be just as annoying as a lane that is too full. If nothing comes to mind straight away, it helps to closely observe yourself and your own reactions to certain situations and to assess whether you can remain calm.
Bye bye fear and restlessness: The best tips for staying calm and being more relaxed
If we know what is stressing us, we can also learn to calmly face the respective stressors. But what can we do now to learn serenity? We explain the first steps here:
1. First relax your body
That probably sounds strange at first, since calm has to do with the inner attitude. But: Those who are physically tense find it much more difficult to be relaxed inside. It is therefore a good idea to first get rid of the external tension (e.g. through blockages and tension) – with the help of relaxation techniques, massages for example. A relaxed body also ensures a relaxed mind, which in turn enables us to deal with our inner attitude.
2. Take a deep breath
Your desk bends with work and you hardly know where your head is? It sounds ridiculously simple, but before doing anything else, take a deep breath. Our breathing has a massive influence on our stress level and thus our serenity. We tend to breathe more shallowly under stress. If you have recorded a stressful situation – in this case the fully loaded desk – stand up straight, lift your chin and push your chest forward. The shoulders hang loosely down. Then take five deep breaths into your nose – preferably first into your stomach and then into your chest – then exhale through your mouth again. This breathing automatically relaxes the body and allows you to be relaxed again.
3. Decide against the stress
No matter what things seem stressful, the only person who decides how you will deal with the stress is yourself. Anyone who is constantly upset about small annoyances is wasting energy. Instead, it's better to pause and think about whether it's even worth being upset. Sometimes it helps to just take a deep breath and push the anger away. Because serenity actually corresponds to our natural state – sometimes you just have to actively choose it.
Do you want another tip for more serenity? We reveal three more ideas in the video!
Reading tips: Here we reveal typical stress symptoms. We also explain progressive muscle relaxation and how you can get rid of a vertebral block.
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