How do you define peace and relief? Are they the same to you or different? Relief is easier for me to speak to – it’s what you feel when something you don’t like goes away. But peace is harder for me to describe. I looked up peace in my (very) old Webster’s dictionary (yes – I actually still have a physical copy and felt drawn for the first time in ages to look it up instead of googling it!) Here’s the definition I found:
- a pact or agreement to end hostilities;
- a state of tranquility or quiet;
- harmony in personal relations;
- freedom from fears, agitating passions, moral conflict, etc.;
- one who or that which makes or maintains peace.
Avoid or desire?
When I meet with clients, one of the first things we discuss is what’s going on with them and what would they rather experience. That can be hard because lots of times we make decisions and goals based on what we want to avoid, instead of what we really want. It seems to me that peace and relief have a similar relationship to each other.
Relief
Relief, to me, is when something that was stressful for us goes away or ends.
- It could be a physical symptom. I’m having my hip replaced later this month and am definitely looking forward to the relief I’ll feel when the pain is gone and I’m in recovery mode.
- Or maybe it’s a relationship that has become more of a drain than a joy. It can be heartbreaking to end these, and also sometimes necessary. In my experience, once it’s over, there are several conflicting emotions. Relief is one of them.
- Or possibly it’s reaching the end of a situation that is no longer serving us. I have a friend who realized she was being drained by something that had once been her passion. Finding a way to “rehome” that so it could thrive without her had to be a huge relief.
- It could be when an uncomfortable noise stops. I think we’ve ALL been there before.
There are all sorts of ways we can experience relief. And it feels so good!
Peace
So what about peace? How can you define it without it being the absence of something or a contrast to something else? A few indicators come to my mind:
- Noticing there’s a smile on my face for no particular reason
- Having a gentle curiosity about things I didn’t expect
- Knowing that everything is working out just fine (being in the flow)
- Believing that you can handle whatever will come your way
- Feeling loved, appreciated, and connected to something bigger than yourself
I’m sure you have your own set of indicators. I invite you to take the time to think about it.
Where does the subconscious fit into all this?
In my world, stress is caused by our perceptions about a person or situation. So another way to find relief is to change our subconscious beliefs, because those create our perceptions. When those perceptions stop creating stress and resistance, we experience relief. (I actually have a program I call Belief Relief!) Book a call if you’d like to know more about finding a little relief for yourself.
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