The Art of Protecting Your Peace
Protecting my peace means honoring my boundaries, having my own back, and speaking up for myself. It’s choosing authenticity over people-pleasing, expansion over staying small. It’s pink parachute pants and a louder-than-average laugh. It’s crafting a life where my nervous system can settle, unclenching my jaw, breathing deeply, and making choices I don’t have to hide from or regret.
I don’t always get it right. Sometimes, I’m impulsive or avoidant. We are humans not robots, but it’s an intention. For years now, I’ve consciously chosen peace, in the people I welcome into my space, the food I nourish myself with, the activities I engage in, and even the music that fills my space. My peace is in my tone, my vibration. It comes from gratitude, from slowing down, from tending to my own garden in ways both big and small.
Knowing When to Disengage
Choosing peace also means knowing when to walk away. It’s resisting the urge to explain yourself to people committed to misunderstanding you. It’s declining invitations that don’t serve you, letting go of relationships that drain you, and releasing the need for outside validation. Peace is trusting that your worth isn’t up for debate, it simply is.
The Peace Inventory
If you’re looking to cultivate more peace in your life, try this simple exercise:
Step 1: Reflect
Take five minutes to assess what brings you peace and what disrupts it. Grab a journal and create two columns:
• Column 1: What Brings Me Peace
Think of the people, places, habits, and activities that leave you feeling grounded, calm, and whole. List them.
• Column 2: What Steals My Peace
Now, list the things that drain you—conversations, commitments, behaviors, or even thought patterns that leave you feeling unsettled or out of alignment.
Step 2: Adjust
Once you’ve got your list, ask yourself:
• How can I create more space for the things in Column 1?
• What boundaries or shifts can I implement to reduce the influence of Column 2?
Small, intentional changes compound over time. Protecting your peace is an active practice, not a one-time decision. What’s one step you can take today?
