To fully understand what “calm” means to us. We must first find out what the definition of “calm” is and start working backwards from there.
According to wiktionary.org, calm is defined as follows…
(of a person) Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.
Now, let’s look at the words and phrases used in the above definition…
- Peaceful
- Quiet
- Free from anger and anxiety
Where does your mind go when you read these words? What do you see in your mind’s eye?
For me, I see myself standing on the shoreline looking out towards the horizon across an ocean that’s as still as glass. I also feel a slight breeze gently caressing my face and the warmth of the sun bathing my entire body.
Yes… I’m feeling pretty relaxed at the moment.
Let’s see if we are able to add some additional words and phrases to extend the above definition…
- Balanced
- Still
- Relaxed
- Content
- Happy
- Free from stress
I’m sure that this list of calm descriptors would be limited only by your imagination and of course this is all determined by your life experiences combined with your own internal definition of what calm means to you.
Right… Now that you’ve defined what calm means to you, the next question you need to ask yourself is
How do I achieve this sense of calm in my life?
Well, there are many, many roads to calm, as many as the number of people in the world as each journey to calm is unique and individual as we are.
Off the top of my head, here’s a list of activities that I would do to make my journey to a calmer life much easier.
- Keeping healthy
- Adhering to routines
- Practising a religion (an external searching for truth)
- Practising a spirituality (an internal searching for truth)
- Slowing down
- Minimising clutter
- Maximising space
- Meditating
- Constant examining of life (mindfulness)
- Journalling
- Doing a hobby
- Maintaining positive relationships
- Eliminating toxic relationships
- (Focus on) Breathing
- Not “sweating the small stuff”
- Owning a pet
What would be your list of calm inducing activities? What would you be willing to do to achieve your calmness goals? Write them down and make a concerted effort to work out ways of achieving them.
In fact, doing this very exercise was the main inspiration for putting together this website.
At the time I started The Calm Life, I wanted (and really needed) a sense of calm in my life and I had a picture in my mind of what calm looked and felt like to me.
All I needed to do was to marry the two together and creating The Calm Life was a great way to document how I was to turn this picture of calm in my head into my day to day reality.
So again, I ask you… “What does calm mean to you?”
I can guarantee that when you decide to seek the answer to this very question you will embark on a journey that will last a lifetime.
I know from experience that the more you learn, the more you will need to learn so resolve in yourself to take that first step towards a calm life and (most importantly) enjoy the journey.
Until then, be still and enjoy the silence,
Corey Stewart
The Calm Life
