I woke up this morning from a restless sleep. I had been carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders for a couple of days and I’m a little ashamed because I’m usually more put together than this. I tried using affirmations and focusing on the positives but I always found myself back in a bubble.

I wrote a poem about peace a while ago “when you discover that peace is up to you, you become as free as the wind and as light as the air it blows“. These beautiful words came to my memory today and I felt a lot lighter after saying them repeatedly.

Some moments later, a bunch of new words came to me and I thought to share them here instead of keeping them solely for myself. So here you go;

If you’re tired, rest.
If it no longer serves you, move on.
If it no longer brings you joy, walk away.

If you’re stuck or confused, seek help.
If something’s bothering you, don’t let it eat you up inside. Speak about it.
If someone’s social media posts make you feel unworthy and small, it’s okay to block them.
If your friend’s beliefs and behaviour are no longer aligned with yours and it keeps causing arguments between you two, it’s okay to let them go.

If your partner is abusive, physically, verbally or emotionally, please leave.
If you’re unhappy, do something that normally cheers you up or call someone to get you in a better mood.
If there’s an issue that its resolution is out of your hands, do your best and please let it go. Don’t have sleepless nights over something you cannot change.

Stop giving other people the power to steal your peace. It belongs to you and you’re always in control of it. Your peace has always been and will always be up to you.

I hope this post helps you.

Mariam Shittu