If peace of mind feels impossible lately, this week’s episode will help you uncover what’s really getting in the way… and how to finally take back your calm. So, Let’s Talk About Mental Health!

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About this episode:

What if your peace of mind isn’t missing… it’s just being smothered by everything you’re carrying?

Well, that’s what this week’s episode is all about.

Because peace of mind isn’t something that you magically find; it’s something you make space for. And when your brain feels full, you’re constantly on edge, or you can’t seem to switch off, it usually means something is getting in the way.

This week on Let’s Talk About Mental Health, I’m exploring the biggest barriers to peace of mind — and how to start removing them so you can feel calmer, clearer, and more in control.

💡 Quick Tip: Instead of asking yourself “Why can’t I cope?”, try asking “What do I need less of right now?” It’s a subtle shift that helps you focus on reclaiming space instead of blaming yourself.

Because peace doesn’t come from doing more… it comes from doing less of what doesn’t serve you.

🎧 Ready to stop feeling overwhelmed and start creating more peace in your life? Then let’s talk!

The full episode is out now. Watch it, listen to it, or read the full transcript below… and have a fantastic week!

Jeremy 😃

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Episode Transcript:

This is what’s stealing your peace

So… you want peace of mind, but something’s getting in your way.

And if you’re anything like most people, it’s not just one thing; it’s a hundred little things: daily habits that stress you out, people who drain your energy, the state of the world, the noise in your head that never seems to shut up!

And the more you put up with all that stuff, the further away that sense of peace feels.

So today we’re talking about what’s getting in the way of your peace of mind… and what you can do to get it back.

Because peace of mind isn’t just about finding calm; it’s about making space for it… and I’m going to teach you how to do exactly that.

So let’s talk about… peace of mind!

Peace of mind isn’t something you just stumble across by accident.

It’s something you create for yourself… and that takes time, effort, and perseverance.

But the thing is that most of us are walking around with a head full of noise… as well as a to-do list that never ends, emotional baggage that we’ve never unpacked, and surroundings that are constantly interrupting any sense of calm that we might possibly be able to find.

It’s no wonder peace of mind often feels like it’s so far away!

But it doesn’t have to be.

You can’t control everything but you can control what you let in, what you hold onto, and what you choose to prioritise.

So in this episode of the Let’s Talk About Mental Health podcast, we’re going to dig into what you need to do to overcome obstacles that might be preventing you from finding true peace of mind.

To get there, we’ll talk about: what peace of mind really is, why you might be struggling to find it, and what you can do to clear space for it to grow.

By the way, I’m Jeremy Godwin, and each week I teach you how to improve your mental health in a way that’s straightforward and simple to put into practice.

So let’s start by discussing…

What is peace of mind?

Alright, so ‘peace of mind’ is a state of inner steadiness, mentally and emotionally.

It’s that sense of calm where you can think clearly and feel genuinely grounded in yourself.

It doesn’t mean that you don’t have problems or issues to deal with.

It doesn’t mean that everything’s perfect and fantastic.

But it means that you have emotional wellbeing so that you can then respond thoughtfully to challenges and issues that inevitably come your way.

It’s not about being happy all the time.

It’s definitely not about pretending everything’s fine, because real life is never perfect and we all go through more ups and downs than a rollercoaster stuck on a never ending loop.

Real peace of mind isn’t just that surface level type of calm. It’s about really knowing, deep down inside, that even when things around you are uncertain or difficult that you’re OK and you’re going to be OK, and you’re not going to constantly be thrown off balance by every single thing that comes your way.

But here’s the problem: for a lot of us, peace of mind just feels out of reach… not because we don’t want it, but because our lives are so full of distractions and pressure and stress that there’s just no space left for it.

We’re overwhelmed, overstimulated, and over it!

And it doesn’t help that we’re expected to be constantly switched on 24-7, especially when that means that we’re bombarded with more bad news and nonsense in a single day than most of our ancestors had to deal with in an entire lifetime.

And we’ve normalised that as ‘just the way life is’. 

That, my friends, is just not true. It’s not the way life is, and you can choose a different path; one that doesn’t have to involve escaping to an island in the middle of the Pacific to live in solitude for the rest of your life… although good luck to you if that’s an option; and if that’s on the cards for you, send me a postcard!

The truth is peace of mind doesn’t just happen. It’s something you have to create for yourself. You have to create space for peace of mind, and that means that you start by identifying what’s  getting in the way of it.

Because even if you do all the so-called ‘right’ things like, you know, meditation, and mindfulness, and journalling, and therapy, and trying to think positively, none of that will make a real difference if you’re still letting your time, energy, and mental focus get hijacked by things that don’t serve your best interests.

I’m talking about things like overthinking, people pleasing, constantly doomscrolling, or trying to control everything and everyone. And yes, I’m also talking about letting people drain the emotional life out of you.

Peace of mind doesn’t just happen. You have to create it.

I said it before and you’re probably going to hear me say it about 50,000 more times today!

This is why I say the phrase “protect your peace” at least once or twice in every episode of this podcast, because you need to protect it… otherwise, nobody’s going to protect it for you.

It’s the same with just thinking about the idea of creating peace of mind; you need to create it… because nobody’s going to create it for you.

Peace of mind is not just a luxury for people who have very little on their plates or who have this or that. You don’t have to drive a certain car or have a certain amount of money in your bank account to be able to find peace of mind. It is available for every single one of us, regardless of the challenges that we face in our day-to-day lives.

Your life does not need to be perfect to have peace of mind.

You do not need to be rich to have peace of mind.

You do not need to be attractive to have peace of mind.

It is something that you can create, even in the middle of a busy life… but only if you stop tolerating the things that chip away at it.

So what are those things? What’s really stealing your peace of mind?

Well, that’s what this episode is about: getting honest about the habits, thoughts, feelings, relationships, and situations that are keeping you from feeling calm and clear, and working out how to remove or reduce them in realistic ways… not through a major life overhaul, but through small and intentional shifts that clear space in your mind and in your day for peace to grow.

Because peace of mind isn’t something you only find at a mountaintop retreat or by reaching level 42 in a meditation app.

It’s found in the choices you make every day about what you allow into your head, your heart, and your space.

And if your peace is constantly being interrupted, then it just might be time to clear your space. 

We’re going to discuss how to do that shortly, but first, let’s talk about…

Why peace of mind feels out of reach… and why it matters

Alright… so if peace of mind is so important, then why is it so difficult to actually find it?!

Well, the cold hard fact is that most of us aren’t living in a way that actually supports peace.

We’re overstimulated, overcommitted, and overwhelmed… constantly juggling noise and pressure and chaos, and a million different competing priorities.

And the world we live in normalises that.

It tells you to hustle harder, to stay connected 24-7… to keep up with the news cycle, and the algorithm, and your inbox, and all of the expectations on you.

No wonder your mind feels so full all the time!

I had someone the other week email me with a follow up three hours after they’d initially messaged me with an unsolicited request. Following me up three hours later was pointless, because it was during the middle of the night for me. I’m like, hello, time zones! And given that it was an unsolicited request from yet another person wanting to be interviewed on my show… you know, this show, the one that doesn’t have guests on it because it’s not an interview show… but I just thought, “wow, what a sense of self-entitlement to demand a reply to your email like that.” I made them wait before I said ‘no’. Sure, that might be a bit petty, but it hopefully taught them a lesson that being pushy doesn’t get you anywhere!

Anyway, where was I before I went off on that rant?!  Oh yeah… peace of mind!

The biggest thing that gets in the way of peace of mind is letting other people tell you what your priorities are, or listening to what other people say you should be doing or, you know, whether they’re saying that directly or indirectly. It’s also, you know, allowing other people’s demands to be the priority as opposed to whether or not you think about, “Are those demands actually fitting in with my needs, my priorities?”

Peace of mind isn’t difficult to find because you’re doing something wrong.

It’s because you’re surrounded by systems and habits that actively block it… and that includes other people as well.

Most of the time you probably don’t even realise that it’s happening.

So, tell me how familiar this sounds:

You wake up first thing in the morning, already thinking about everything that you need to do.

You grab your phone and you scroll through it before you’ve even gotten out of bed, maybe even while you’re watching the news.

You then rush from one task to another throughout the day, never really switching off.

You try to squeeze in some self-care somewhere, but it ends up feeling like another chore on the list… or you just, you know, reach for a glass of wine instead.

And so by the time your head hits the pillow at night, you’re absolutely exhausted physically and mentally… but your brain is still buzzing away, and so you can’t sleep properly or maybe you can’t sleep at all.

And the next day, you do it all over again.

You’re not broken.

You’re overloaded.

And when your mind is constantly full of noise, stimulation, stress, unprocessed emotions… well, there’s no space left for peace of mind.

That’s not a flaw in you.

That’s a sign that something in your life needs to change… because if nothing changes, nothing changes.

Peace of mind isn’t just a nice to have; it’s absolutely essential for good mental health.

When you don’t have peace of mind, that’s when you are generally more reactive and a lot more easily overwhelmed.

You’re also more anxious, mainly because your nervous system stays stuck in a state of hyper-vigilance like you’re always waiting for the next thing to go wrong… which you basically are. And over time, that can take a really serious toll on you. Not just mentally, but physically too.

But when you do have peace of mind, even just a bit, that’s when you feel more in control of your thoughts and emotions.

You can focus better. You can make more intentional choices instead of just reacting to things automatically. You feel more grounded, more patient, more present, and more able to deal with the tough stuff without feeling like you’re falling apart.

Peace of mind gives you breathing room mentally and emotionally, and that’s something that you can create even if your life is far from peaceful.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: to feel more peace, you need to start getting really honest about what’s getting in the way of it… and often, that means realising that you’re going to have to make some tough decisions.

It means asking yourself questions like:

“What am I tolerating that’s costing me peace?”

“What am I holding onto that I need to release?”

“Where am I giving too much of myself, and for what return?”

Because peace of mind isn’t found in a perfect set of circumstances. It’s found in the boundaries you set, the thoughts you challenge, the habits you question, and the energy you protect.

It’s about the choices you make.

You can’t expect to feel calm while everything around you and within you is chaotic.

If you want peace of mind, then you have to start clearing the path in front of you.

And when you do, even a small sense of peace can go a very long way towards improving how you feel and how you show up in your life.

So if peace of mind matters this much, and if all of these things that are… are getting in the way of it, then the next question is probably: how do you actually create more peace in your life?

Not in some perfect, ‘everything’s magically fixed’ kind of way, because that’s not realistic… but in real, tangible, practical ways that help you to make space for calm, even when life is messy.

Well, let’s talk about how to do that right after this quick break.

[AD BREAK]

And welcome back! Now let’s talk about…

How to create peace of mind

Alright… if you want peace of mind, then you need to clear whatever’s getting in the way of it. And that means making small and intentional changes that protect your head space and help you to feel more grounded.

Now… you don’t have to overhaul your entire life to feel more calm, and you don’t have to bulldoze everyone and everything… but you do need to start saying no to the things that chip away at your peace of mind. 

And you also need to say yes more often to the habits that support good peace of mind.

So let’s look at some of the practical ways to do exactly that; things that you can start doing right away to make more space for calm in your daily life.

I’m going to break these down into four areas: what you let in, your thoughts, your boundaries, and your space. So starting with what you let in, my first tip is…

Be ruthless about what and who you let in. If you’re constantly exposing yourself to negativity, whether it’s the news cycle, social media, or just other people’s stress, then your brain never gets a break. And you need room to breathe if you’re ever going to find any kind of peace of mind… no matter how fleeting. Chaos and calm do not go together, so try doing something small to start with like reducing how often you check your phone, especially first thing in the morning or late at night, or try limiting how much doomscrolling you do; the less, the better! Or maybe just mute accounts on social media that leave you feeling anxious or inadequate. The less junk you feed your mind, the clearer it becomes. Next…

Protect yourself from unnecessary drama. You don’t have to take on other people’s chaos. If someone’s always dragging you into gossip, conflict, or emotional messiness, it’s OK to take a step back. You can still be supportive without being their emotional dumping ground, or their ‘gossip wing person’. Practice becoming comfortable with using phrases like, “I can’t get into this right now,” or “I hope it works out for you”… short, respectful, and boundary-setting. Don’t be afraid to create some distance between yourself and people who are so full of drama that they make the Real Housewives look like quiet, upstanding citizens. Your peace is just far too important to hand over to other people’s dysfunction. Next…

Give your mind actual quiet time. Most people don’t realise how little silence they actually experience in a day. We tend to fill every spare second with background noise, music, TV, podcasts, videos, scrolling… and while none of those things are necessarily bad in moderation, your brain also needs space to just be. Try carving out five minutes of silence every single day; no devices, no distractions. Just sit. Or walk. Or simply take time to breathe. That pause helps to calm your nervous system, and that’s where peace begins.

Now we’re going to talk about your thoughts, which is all about what happens internally: how you think, how you process things, and how you relate to your own mind. My first tip here is…

Challenge your inner noise. Peace of mind isn’t just about your surroundings; it’s about your internal dialogue. So if you’ve got a harsh inner critic running the show, it’s going to be pretty hard to feel calm. So, start noticing your automatic thoughts. Are they helpful? Are they even true? You don’t have to believe everything your mind tells you. Choose to treat those thoughts like spam emails: identify them, unsubscribe, and move on. If your thoughts tend to be particularly anxious, check out Episode 281 about how to deal with anxiety. It’s linked in the description, or just head to ltamh.com/episodes. OK, next…

Let go of the need to control everything. A big part of finding true inner peace is accepting what you can’t control, and that’s tough… especially if you’ve learned to equate control with safety. I know what that feels like! But trying to micromanage every outcome just burns you out, because all you have direct control over is yourself. So instead of trying to control things that you can’t control, focus on what’s within your power: your words, your actions, your attitude… because that’s where real peace lives. The rest? Just let it be what it is. I covered focusing on what you can control in Episode 291 if you’d like to learn more. Next…

Stop overcommitting yourself. Peace of mind tends to disappear when your calendar’s packed, and you never have time to just breathe. So, create space for yourself. It’s a necessity, not a luxury. If you’re constantly saying yes out of guilt or obligation, then it’s time to reassess things. Start small. Say no to one thing this week that you genuinely just don’t have the capacity for. That single act of self-respect creates more space than you might think, and it sends a very powerful message to yourself that your time and energy matter… which they do!

OK, so now we’re going to explore tips based around your boundaries. These involve your relationships, your responsibilities, and the expectations you set with yourself and others. First…

Start noticing what drains you. It’s easy to get used to low level stress, the kind that builds up from tolerating things that don’t align with your values; that could be a toxic work environment, or unhealthy routines, or even certain conversations or relationships. Pay attention to what leaves you feeling heavy or tense. If it’s consistently draining, then it’s costing you your peace of mind. You might not be able to walk away from whatever it is immediately, but you can start setting limits or planning a change. Next…

Build better boundaries. Boundaries aren’t about pushing people away; they’re about protecting your peace, and they don’t need to be dramatic. Boundaries can be as simple as turning off notifications after 7:00 PM, or not replying to messages immediately. Or maybe it’s about saying to someone, “I need some time to think about that before I decide.” The more consistently you set small boundaries, the more you teach yourself and others that your wellbeing matters… which, of course, it does! I talked about how to set healthy boundaries in Episode 248, if you’d like to learn more.

Now we’re going to talk through tips focused on your space, and this is all about your physical environment as well as how you structure your time and energy. First…

Declutter your space. Physical clutter creates mental clutter… so when your environment is messy or chaotic, your brain has to work a lot harder just to focus. So, clear the clutter. You don’t need to be a minimalist, but try tidying one small area that you use every day, like your desk, your bedside table, your bag, your car, your kitchen bench. Create even a tiny pocket of calm for yourself, and notice how it shifts your mental state, and then you can build on that over time. Having order around you helps to create order within you. Next…

Stop glorifying busyness. Being constantly busy isn’t a badge of honour; it’s a warning sign of potential stress and burnout. If your days are so full that you never get a moment to pause, you’re not going to feel peace of mind… you’re going to feel wired and worn out, no matter how many of these techniques you try to shoehorn into your already-crammed schedule.  Prioritise rest and time to recharge like you prioritise important appointments, because time for yourself needs to be a high priority since you can’t fill from an empty cup. I know, I know, I love a cliché, but it’s true! Even a 10 minute walk every day, or taking a stretch break, or allocating some quiet time for yourself when you come home to have a cup of tea or coffee can really serve to reset your nervous system. You don’t have to earn rest… you just have to allow it. Next…

Reconnect with what matters. What matters most is living your life… not just dragging yourself through it. And to do that, you need to get your priorities right. Nobody ever turned around on their deathbed and went, “Damn, I wish I had spent more time in the office!” When life gets overwhelming, it’s really easy to lose sight of what actually matters to you. But true peace of mind comes from living in alignment with your values… not from pleasing everyone else. Take just five or 10 minutes to list out for yourself what actually brings you a sense of calm, connection, fulfilment, and purpose, and then ask yourself: how can I make a little more space for this in my week? Start there, then do it again next week… and the week after that… and so on. That’s how you create peace of mind: by making one aligned choice at a time, so you can focus on what actually matters. And yes, it’s absolutely fine to let go of the stuff that doesn’t matter… because guess what? It doesn’t matter!

Here’s the thing.

Peace of mind isn’t something you just stumble across by accident.

It’s something you create.

And you do that by getting really honest about what’s stealing your peace, then choosing to stop giving so much of your time, energy, attention, and head space to things that really don’t deserve it.

Because when it comes to peace of mind, what it all boils down to is this:

You don’t have to chase peace of mind. You just have to stop making room for what interrupts it.

Now, what are you going to do with what you’ve learned today?

Try asking yourself, what’s one thing you’ve been tolerating that’s been quietly draining your peace of mind? And what would change if you’d let it go? Because even the smallest bit of peace is powerful… and the more space you clear, the more of it you’ll feel. The choice is yours, as it is with all things related to your wellbeing. 

So, what choice will you make today?

Each week I like to finish up by sharing a quote about the week’s topic, and I encourage you to take a few moments to really reflect on it and consider what it means to you. This week’s quote is by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it is: 

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let me repeat that.

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

Alright… that’s nearly it for this week.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter at ltamh.com and support me on Patreon for early access to ad-free episodes and exclusive content. They’re both linked in the description.

Thank you very much for joining me today. Look after yourself and make a conscious effort to share positivity and kindness out into the world… because you get back what you put out. Take care and talk to you next time!

You’ll also find my episode about emotional boundaries helpful. It’s linked in the description.

Next week I’ll be talking about what healing really looks like. Follow or subscribe to never miss an episode, and have a great week!

Let’s Talk About Mental Health is an independent program. Discover more at ltamh.com.

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TOOLS & RESOURCES FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

I offer simple digital products that will help you improve and look after your mental health. My Daily Affirmations tool will help you start your day with focus and intention, grounding you and creating a sense of calm. My Daily Reflection Tool is a buy-once-use-forever PDF tool that helps you to do the work that will lead to better mental health and well-being. Plus I have a Masterclass Video which is like your own coaching session with me so that you can get the most out of your daily tool. Buy the two as a bundle and save 20% for a limited time! Click the links below for your chosen product(s):

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Click here for details of mental health resources in most countries.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Find more content at www.ltamh.com

Let’s Talk About Mental Health.
Making Mental Health Simple.

Let’s Talk About Mental Health. © 2025 Jeremy Godwin.

The information provided in this episode is for general awareness on the topic and does not constitute advice. You should consult a doctor and/or mental health professional if you’re struggling with your mental health and wellbeing. You’ll find additional information on the Resources page of this website.