Choose Serenity

I read in Hope for Today yesterday that we do not get serenity by chance, but by choice. But choosing serenity is more difficult than just saying the Serenity Prayer. We need tools to get us there. We need to practice using these tools. Some of mine are from Al-Anon, others are from elsewhere. They are:

-Be Mindful, Be Aware of Your Current Surroundings - What Do You See, Smell, Taste, Touch, or Hear?

-Be in the Now, Be Aware of Your Breath - Better Yet, Focus on Breathing in Deeply and Breathing Out Slowly

-Be Grateful, Make a List Using the Alphabet - A is for Air to Breathe, B is for Beauty in Nature, C is for Clouds... Or Name People You Appreciate in Your Life

-"Let Go and Let God", the God of Your Own Understanding - Make Fists and Hold Tight for a Few Seconds, Then Unfold Your Hands and Raise Them Palms Up As If In Prayer

-Live "Just for Today", Make Your To-Do List - Ask Yourself "How Important Is It?" to Get Your Priorities Straight and Don't Forget to Do Something Fun or Relaxing Just for You

-Pray for Your "Enemies" - When You're Obsessing About What So and So Did to You, Ask Their God to Bless Them, to Help Them on Their Path

There are many more tools I use, too many to list here, but this can give you a start and then you can come up with your own. Al-Anon literature has indexes to help you find tools for finding serenity. May you be able to find it whenever, wherever you are!