Summer is on the horizon! It’s a season of fun in the sun, but even in summer, life can get stressful. This summer, amidst the festive hustle, let’s focus on one of life’s most precious qualities: peace.

I recently led a workshop called “Reclaiming Your Peace.” When I asked the participants to define peace, they described it as a profound inner calm and confidence. Peace is the steady anchor that keeps you grounded, even when the world around you is chaotic.

Yet, we all have “peace thieves” that threaten to steal our zen. These are often negative things we allow to penetrate our minds: the trap of comparison to others, the weight of old regrets, and the endless cycle of worries about the future. We get caught in toxic thought patterns—reliving mistakes over and over, or constantly spinning in a worry loop. The good news is, you can reclaim your peace.

Here are best practices to find peace, based on the “3 R’s” of the Personal Retreat Day method:   

1) Prioritize Rest

Rest is not a luxury! It’s a non-negotiable part of a peace-filled life. You must intentionally build rest into your daily, weekly, and monthly schedule.

• Daily: As you plan your day, set intentional buffer zones between tasks. Take a quick 5 to 10-minute break outdoors between difficult tasks. And, when possible, give yourself permission to nap!

• Weekly: Block off a dedicated block of time (at least two hours) on your day off to simply relax without screens. Take a nap, read a book, or go for a mindful stroll in nature.

• Monthly: my readers know by now I’m going to recommend a Personal Retreat Day every 30 days or so! This practice is vital for deep rest, allowing you to reflect on the past month and reorient for the next. It’s how you design a purposeful life of peace, one month at a time.

   

2) Practice Healthy Reflection

Reflection is about looking back at your life with self-compassion, not regret. It shifts you from rehashing mistakes to learning from them.
 

• Celebrate Wins: We often have a negativity bias, remembering all the things that went wrong but forgetting the accomplishments of the day. Take time to acknowledge and appreciate your wins, no matter how small.

• Learn from Mistakes: View missteps as lessons, not judgments. What information can you take forward that will help you do better next time?

• Express Gratitude: Make gratitude a habit. Focusing on what you have immediately calms your mind and centers your perspective. 

3) Reorient Your Focus

Finally, true peace requires reorienting your mind away from unproductive anxiety and toward what truly matters.

• Banish Worry: Worry is often unproductive. Most of what we worry about never actually comes to pass. When caught in an anxiety loop, name the specific worry, and then take one small, actionable step if possible. If you’re anxious about something outside of your control, consciously release it. I sometimes imagine placing my worries into a box and putting it on a high shelf. It’s a mental hack that helps me move on to a more optimistic headspace!

• Focus on Values: Base your decisions on your core values. When your life aligns with what you truly value, you experience less internal conflict.

• Create Margin: Stop overscheduling. Leave empty space in your calendar for the unexpected, or just for breathing room.

• Prioritize the Essentials: Identify what’s important to you, and be ruthless about saying “no” to things that drain your time and energy but don’t align with your priorities. Schedule time for what matters most.

By committing to rest, healthy reflection, and a focused reorientation, you give yourself the tools to step out of the worry loop and embrace that inner calm and confidence. Reclaiming your peace is a practice, and the summer season is the perfect time to begin.