Do you feel everything too deeply? You are always anxious about the future and you feel like you need to control everything.
Things that happen to you seem unfair and you are too attached to certain outcomes? This may mean that you need to consider practicing non-attachment and try to achieve more inner peace.
What Is Non-Attachment
Many people are attached to certain things in life. Whether it be a certain person, a certain job, or a specific place, we tend to attach these things to ourselves and make them a part of our personality.
When you practice non-attachment, you do not see external factors as important to you – you simply let them happen. Problems in life can come and go, but you do not give significance to them.
Some may say: ‘That sounds very monotone and dead to me!’. They are wrong because you are not practicing not feeling anything, you are simply learning how to see things and problems that happen to us for what they are and let them pass – not what we think of them or what should have/could have been.
Once we stop clinging to external things, our relationship with life becomes much more relaxed and healthy. Non-attachment is learning how to let go of emotions, attachments, and thoughts that cause us pain and suffering.
In order to experience non-attachment, we need to let life flow and not feel committed to a certain outcome. We then realize that we will be fine whatever happens.
7 Ways To Find Inner Peace
There are several ways we can achieve inner peace and non-attachment. This lifestyle will bring you a lot of calmness and love once you learn how to practice it.
1. Let go of the should and must
If we constantly think about what should have happened or what must happen, we are limiting ourselves to a certain possibility we think is right. This creates a lot of attachment to this ‘ideal’ outcome we imagined and it shows that we do not trust the universe.
We are not always correct about our beliefs and hopes. When we learn how to accept what happened as it is and realize that it was possibly the best option anyhow, it is when we achieve inner peace and detachment.
Our lives will never be perfect – and that is fine. We are not always correct in our opinions – and that is also fine.
2. Do not look for happiness in external things
If you attach your happiness to external things, you are too attached to the material world. This is never a good sign because in order to grow spiritually, you need to attach yourself to the inner world and your self-awareness journey.
People who get too attached to their cars, apartments, or gadgets are putting too much importance on them and once they are damaged or gone, they become depressed and angry.
Truly detached people never overreact when something happens to their material stuff. They accept it and find something positive about it – ‘maybe a flat tire saved me from a potential car accident‘.
3. Embrace Allowing
Allow things to happen to you – whether good or bad. When good things happen, be grateful and allow yourself to enjoy them. If bad things happen – allow them and treat them as a part of your journey and a powerful lesson.
When you feel like people in your life are slowly distancing themselves from you – allow them. They may be entering a new phase of their life journey and you are no longer needed in their life.
This can be in your favor as well. If people are entering your life – allow them. They may be your new life teachers or new important friends you will have for a lifetime.
This does not mean you will not experience love and disappointments, but it means you will not get attached to certain outcomes of relationships.
4. Be OK With Uncertainty
In the modern world, it is popular to plan everything to the T.
We always try to control and plan things out of fear, but this resistance to uncertainty only makes us more anxious and tense.
When we embrace uncertainty and let life unfold naturally, we feel calm, curious, detached, and open to possibilities. This shift in mindset allows us to be playful and less restricted by fear of the unknown.
Instead of dreading what’s next, view the unknown as a surprise waiting to happen to you. A simple, yet effective change in perspective can help you welcome uncertainty rather than fear it.
5. Observe your thoughts and feelings
If you carefully observe your thoughts, you will notice that they usually want to overstress you and make you overthink. If you want to feel detached and practice putting your thoughts and feelings in order, meditation is the best practice.
It will help you ground your feelings and let you examine your thoughts for what they are. Ask yourself: Is this thought making me feel better? Is it beneficial? Do I have proof of what I am thinking?
Sometimes we are so caught up in our thinking that we make up scenarios that make us attached to certain outcomes. When you observe them, you will notice that, more often than not, they come from your fears of uncertainty.
6. Accept that things are temporary
Everything is temporary. When you think of things you worried about in the past, you sometimes laugh at how unimportant they are today. Always ask yourself: Will this be relevant in 5 or 10 years?
If not, they are not that important. Nobody will mention us a hundred years from now, so accept that our struggles are probably not quite significant in the grand scheme of things. Also, whatever is bothering you today, will pass, and time will heal your wounds.
Once you accept it, it will be easier to detach and let everything happen naturally.
7. Be OK With Being Alone
When you start your inner peace journey, you will be a much happier individual. However, you may find yourself alone in your new ways, because many people love drama.
When you become detached, some may see you as cold or uninterested. It is important to love life and feel emotions, just not hold onto them too much and get attached to them. After all, you will attract people who feel the same way as you.
They will feel your detachment and it will make them enjoy your company.
Positive Sides Of Detachment
When you become detached, there are several positive sides of yourself you will meet. some of them are:
- No need to ‘get’ anything
- More grounding
- Relaxing and calming thoughts
- A sense of freedom
- No need to convince others of your worth
- You will feel much more stoic when losses and tragedies happen to you
- You will become more curious and spontaneous
- More self-love
Born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ever since I was a little girl, my imagination knew no bounds. I remember vividly how I’d scribble down short stories, each page bursting with adventures and characters conjured up from the whimsy of my mind. These stories weren’t just for me; they were my way of connecting with my friends, offering them a slice of my fantasy world during our playtimes. The joy and excitement on their faces as we dived into my fictional realms motivated me to keep writing. This early passion for storytelling naturally evolved into my pursuit of writing, turning a childhood hobby into a fulfilling career.