By Joan Courtney, C.Ht.

Unstuck Living

Times like these seem so topsy-turvy. It’s time to find that easy-to-overlook quiet space within. The centering process that goes with serenity is ongoing. Some days are better than others, with the best days arriving when I live in the moment. But how can we do this?

Tips for inner quiet

Simplify. My life can be full of bumps and potholes. Simplifying my life helps me to avoid the potholes and smooth out the bumps. Inner peace fills those cracks and crevices.

• Prioritize that to-do list. A day jam packed with “I’ve got to do this” is a recipe for anxiety. Sort out what’s most important and let the rest sit for a time.

• Set personal limits. Worrying about a project or a situation? Set a limit on how long you will fuss about it. When the inner timer goes off, you can move on to something you can act upon.

• Promote tranquility. Keep things simple. Find time to enjoy the wisps of clouds on the mountainside or that tiny bright yellow flower. A strong connection to nature is key to space within. 

Accept. Cultivate an acceptance of life’s reality. The world is not always as I perceive it. The more I resist, the more complex and challenging it appears. When I accept what is, I stop feeding into resistance. I open space for what could be. Much of the sticky stuff is gone, and there’s peace inside.

• Accepting doesn’t mean giving up. It merely allows for the flexibility of having other options and different strategies to open new doors.

• Acceptance gives clarity. Once the mind clutter is cleared, I can make better decisions. Or better yet, I can let the situation go.

• Feeling the essence of life. Stop and sense all that is going on around you. Watch the squirrels chasing each other up and down the Ponderosa pines. Hear the ducks and geese calling to one another. You feel life’s rhythm in the breeze against your face and the sun on your back. 

Do what you enjoy. When I enjoy what I’m doing, I feel weightless. A natural peace arises, and the way toward that inner quiet is clear.

• Be curious. Life speeds by. There’s not enough time to be stuck in a pattern that is not useful. And there’s so much to see and discover, both in your inner and outer worlds. Doing something new, be it biking or canoeing, frees new areas of my mind for other connections. Creative indeed!

• Be adventurous. It came as a surprise to me: when I am open to new adventures; I cultivate inner quiet. Exploring life’s opportunities opens doors I never considered before, with different skills and friendships.

• Pencil yourself in. An early morning walk, a run at the park, rock-hounding: these can loosen the pressuring ties of what is. I then become more content and focused, more aware of the rhythms in my life. I am the one who created the hectic to-do list that is both demanding and never-ending. Why not pencil me in too? The result is an inner stillness, the tranquility I had been searching for and found within.

Get unstuck and enjoy your journey to your own inner stillness. Revel in what’s inside. Live unstuck.

Joan Courtney is a clinical hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner. Writing for Outdoors southwest and other publications on the Mountain, she also ghostwrites bi-weekly posts for Lil’ Toot, the Canine Executive Officer of Unstuck Living.