When Stress Starts to Feel Normal
Gwen Peterson 
When stress feels normal, we may forget what peace feels like. Discover how small moments can help you reconnect with inner peace.
When Stress Starts to Feel Normal
Have you ever finally relaxed and suddenly realized just how tense you had been?
Maybe your shoulders dropped.
Your jaw softened.
Your breathing became deeper.
And only then did you recognize how tightly you had been holding yourself.
That's the interesting thing about tension. When we experience something long enough, we can stop noticing it.
Stress starts to feel normal.
Familiar Doesn't Always Mean Natural
We are creatures of habit, and not all of our habits are things we consciously choose.
We can become accustomed to rushing from one thing to another.
We can become accustomed to worrying about what might happen next.
We can become accustomed to mentally rehearsing conversations, anticipating problems, or trying to stay one step ahead of life.
Eventually, we may not even call it stress.
We might simply say, "That's just how I am."
But what if it isn't?
What if it's simply a state you've become very familiar with?
That opens the door to an entirely different possibility.
Because if you can become familiar with tension, you can also become familiar with peace.
What Does Peace Feel Like to You?
We often talk about wanting more peace in our lives as though peace is something waiting for us somewhere in the future.
I'll relax when this is finished.
I'll feel better when I know what's going to happen.
I'll slow down when things aren't so busy.
There always seems to be one more condition that needs to be met before we give ourselves permission to exhale.
But peace doesn't have to wait until everything around us is peaceful.
It can begin with noticing.
Take a breath.
Notice your body.
Notice your thoughts.
Notice what you're carrying in this moment that doesn't actually need to be carried right now.
Then ask yourself:
What would it feel like to soften just a little?
You don't have to go from stressed to blissful in thirty seconds.
You don't have to force your mind to become perfectly quiet.
You are simply beginning to recognize another state of being.
Practice the State You Want to Know
There is a line from one of my meditations that has stayed with me:
Become familiar with it.
I love that idea.
Because becoming familiar with peace doesn't require us to master anything.
We practice it.
Perhaps it's three quiet breaths before answering the phone.
A few moments sitting silently in the car before going into the grocery store.
Closing your eyes and connecting with your heart before beginning your day.
Sitting on the lanai with your morning coffee and actually being there instead of mentally running through everything you need to accomplish.
These moments may seem small, but each one gives us another experience of peace.
Another opportunity to recognize it.
Another reminder of the way back.
If meditation is something you've wanted to make part of your life—but you've struggled with what it is “supposed” to look like—my book Meditation Starts With ME can help you discover a practice that works for you. Because meditation doesn't have to be complicated to create meaningful moments of peace.
Peace Doesn't Mean Life Stops Happening
Becoming familiar with peace doesn't mean you'll never worry again.
It doesn't mean nothing will frustrate you.
And it certainly doesn't mean life suddenly becomes perfectly predictable.
It means peace becomes another place available to you.
When worry appears, you begin to recognize it sooner.
When tension builds, you notice.
When your thoughts start racing ahead of you, you remember that you can come back.
Back to your breath.
Back to your heart.
Back to Spirit.
Back to this moment.
The more often we return, the more familiar the path becomes.
And eventually we may discover something beautiful:
Perhaps peace wasn't something we needed to find at all.
Perhaps we were simply remembering how to return to it.
About Gwen Peterson
Gwen Peterson is an author, Soul Coach, Reiki Master, and conscious channel for the Archangels and Ascended Masters. Through Insights & Illuminations, she shares spiritual teachings, meditations, and practical tools designed to help others strengthen their connection with their Soul and bring spiritual awareness into everyday life.
Categories: : Daily Practice, meditation, Positive mindset