The idea behind protecting my peace was a concept that I did not understand until recently. The last couple of weeks I have been on a journey of self-reflection especially since coming into a new school year I wanted a better mindset to come into the year with. I am still on the journey but as of right now, I have developed a better way of thinking than I had before. Part of this new thinking involves protecting my peace.
I have always heard people in the past talking about this concept, but I never fully understood it. As a girl who tends to worry about everything that she cannot control, I always believed that I would never be able to do this. The truth is that I had to come to terms with the fact that I can control this part of my life. What I have learned about myself is that throughout my entire life, I have spent so many years breaking my own heart. I partially knew I was doing this but thought that I had a lack of control over this part of my life. But I do have control over this, even though I have felt powerless in the past.
The definition that I learned of “Protecting Peace” is to set boundaries and make choices that reflect your self-interest. As a people pleaser, this has never come easy to me. My focus has always been placing other people’s wants and needs before my own. While I embark on this new chapter of my life, I have decided to put myself first. I deserve to be in control of my emotions and do things that bring me joy.
As this is a foreign concept to me, the first week or so has been difficult. Not going back to my old ways has been tough because as humans we tend to go back to what feels comfortable and what we know. But the truth is we must avoid the temptation to make choices that are familiar but no longer serve us because that’s how we can grow as people.
To act on this new change, I have started to spend each day doing at least one thing that brings me joy. This ranges anywhere from being with my girls to writing about my life in this Her Campus article. Although I am terrified for what is to come, I know this is what I deserve and one day I will sit in the sun and things will not feel so bad as they once did. But until then, this is my new thinking, and I cannot wait for what this chapter holds for me.