Unleashing a Life Lived in a State of Restorative Calm

Getting Off Track

After two years of relentless chaos and emotional upheaval (see, Where Have I Been the last 2 Years?) I’ve found myself yearning not just for peace, but for something deeper – what I now call restorative calm. It’s more than a momentary break from noise or stress; it’s a healing state where my mind, body, and spirit can recover, regroup, and be renewed.

In truth, I had once begun making progress toward this kind of life, especially after losing my job back in 2018. I had learned how to manage the anger and frustration that had long gripped me. But like many journeys worth taking, setbacks came, and calm became elusive again.

Now, I’m setting out – slowly, intentionally – to rediscover it.

A Hard Road to Recovery

Long time followers may recall that I was the angry Christian who was set off by every thing around me. I would vocalize my frustration and anger to the world. A world that was mostly looking at me and wishing I would just shut up.

But I didn’t care, it made me feel good to air my grievances. It didn’t change things…but it made me feel “heard’? I don’t know if that’s the word I’m looking for, but either way, it didn’t have the desired effect I had hoped for. In the end it cost me a good paying job and put my family in serious financial danger.

From 2018 to about 2022 I had made up a lot of ground. I got a new job, we recovered (to some degree) financially, and I was finally learning how to manage my anger in a way that didn’t blow up the world around me. And then came 2023 and trying to sell our house. I won’t rehash that story. You can go back and check out my blog (linked above) about the last 2 years and the chaos it brought into our lives. But needless to say, it felt like I had taken 5 steps forward and 10 steps back.

Renewed Pursuit

Yesterday, on Memorial Day, my wife and I took our kids to the beach to walk. Which is very relaxing and quite enjoyable. It wasn’t too hot, the sun wasn’t beating down on us, the water was warm, and the wind was light. It was crowded, but I know some spots on the beach that even when it’s crowded it feels like you’re almost alone. Ahhh…beach life.

Afterward, we took the family to Barnes & Noble where we got them some treats from the Starbucks there and then shopped around for books. My daughters each bought a sketch book, my oldest son bought a compilation comic book, and my youngest son bought a book about Godzilla (of course he did).

I, on the other hand, bought a book called “The Calm Workbook” by The School of Life.

How can I describe it? It is a philosophical workbook (basically journal) to help you process the meaning of being “calm” and how to achieve it. It’s a short book, so I’m already on chapter 6, but it has some interesting concepts I’m wrestling with.

The book has a lot of areas for writing, various exercises to do, and so on. However, by-and-large, I’m doing a first pass with reading, maybe I’ll do SOME of the exercises, and I’m highlighting various lines from the book that stand out to me. I’m going to go back through the book again and on the second pass I’ll complete some more of the exercises. Not sure if I’ll do all of them yet. We shall see. And then, if there ares till other exercises to do, I’ll do a third pass (or as many passes as it takes) to complete them.

The Process

I’m not rushing this process. I’m not rushing it because I don’t think much good has come from rushing into something. It took YEARS to find myself living in a state of perpetual anger. So it’s going to take some time to work that in reverse and unleash a life that is lived in a state of restorative calm.

You may be wondering what I mean by “restorative calm”, and I’m glad you asked.

Here’s how I would define it:

RESTORATIVE CALM is a state of mental, emotional, and physical stillness that not only soothes the mind but actively replenishes your inner resources – like energy, focus, and resilience. It’s more than being relaxed; it’s about being gently restored from burnout, overstimulation, or emotional strain.

The road to restorative calm is not easy. Nor will it be perfect. Nor will I have a “finish line” that I’ll cross. It will be an ongoing process of living, learning, practicing, and so on. So while this will be something I pursue continuously, I do want to get to a place where getting into the mindset and position of restorative calm is second nature rather than a full on battle against the forces of nature.

So, where am I going to go from here?

I’m going to read this book, get back into my meditation that I was doing, focus on bringing calm and peace to my mind and household again, and take it one day at a time. I’ll write here on eagerfortruth.com as well and keep you all updated on my progress as well as provide little snippets of things that perhaps you can try to find your own peace.

Be sure to check back regularly!