In fact, I find myself singing it as covered by one of my favorite artists, India Arie, who adds…Oh ooh God, and give me the courage, to love with an open heart, to love with an open heart (2x), I wanna love with an open heart..oh ooh oh, an open heart.

The last part about loving really helps me to make sure that I cover all my bases, especially in situations that may involve people who may not be behaving in a loving way (laugh out loud). It helps me to remember to control my reaction no matter the circumstances or even my perceived intentions of others.

I say this prayer, often times than not, I sing this prayer and sometimes perform this prayer (literally pouring my heart and soul into it as if I’m entertaining a paid audience filled with fans cheering me on, laugh out loud) as a way to center myself when I’m feeling overwhelmed and in need of an escape. As the words come out of my mouth or sometimes play around in my head, I allow myself to focus on each word. It serves as a reminder to me to stop and assess the situation.

In doing this, I allow myself to truly focus on what is stressing me. I then categorize the stressor/s under one of 2 categories: is it something that I can change or is it something that I have no power over?

If I find that it is the latter, I then try to tell myself that it is out of my control. I try to calm myself by verbally stating that there is nothing that I can do about it and I tell myself as many times as I need to. My goal is to convince myself that it will work itself out because everything usually does.  During this process, I’m shifting my focus from the stressor/s to focusing on something else [the reality of the matter]. It is a way to keep myself from worrying about the stressor continuously since I know from experience that  worrying doesn’t change anything and usually makes the situation worst.

On the contrary, if I categorize the item as something that I can change,  my approach also varies.  My goal becomes to change it and my focus is on finding the necessary solution. I think about the ways that  I can change it, how soon can I change it and what are the possible outcomes following the change. Once I outline these important steps in my head and on paper, I empower myself to take action, knowing that the steps I take can and will change the feeling of being overwhelmed.

So in this post, I am sharing with you the serenity prayer and my interpretation of it outlined below. Whether or not you share my beliefs, I hope that the points highlighted in the prayer are beneficial to you. 

My Interpretation of the Serenity Prayer

1.  Everything that happens in our lives are not things that we have control over. This also can be interpreted as everything is not our fault. Sometimes, we can do everything seemingly right and yet the outcome that results is nothing like what we expected. If we remember that, and accept that some things are the way they are  for a reason, whatever the reason may be, it would be easier for us to let go, and let those things be  without playing the blame game.

2.   We realize that everything does not always happen to us. There are some things that we can change if we put our minds to it. The first step is always our identification of the area that needs change, followed by our outlining the steps to get us to the change we desire. Ultimately, we have to put some action behind all the insight that we gain from our analysis.

3.  Do not confuse numbers one and two. Sometimes, stress comes when we confuse the things we do not have control over with the things that are actually within our realm of control. This is when wisdom really kicks in and I don’t think anyone will argue that wisdom is a good thing.  We could all use more knowledge as well as insight on when to apply the knowledge, especially in situations that we find challenging or stressful.

In conclusion, as we navigate life in these stressful times, I hope that we can keep the tips from the serenity prayer in mind. I also hope that we find more ways to remain calm and increase our inner peace. 

As always, I welcome you to share your thoughts with me in the comment section below. I look forward to hearing about some of your coping methods during these and other stressful times.