Finding Peace – In the Midst of Chaos

Agneta Jonsson

May 5

5 min read

Bali is in many ways a truly magical place - there are countless reasons why I have chosen to live here. But of course, there are also downsides and aspects that disturb the idyll, things one might wish were different. One of these is the traffic. Especially in Ubud, Denpasar, and the Canggu area, where the situation over recent years has become utterly chaotic. Narrow, poorly maintained roads where cars can barely pass each other, large tourist buses and often long, painfully slow queues.

And then there are the roughly four million motorbikes and scooters - about as many as there are inhabitants on Bali! Traffic rules surely exist, but few seem to follow them. People drive the wrong way down one-way streets, overtake from the outside even when you’ve signaled well in advance, scooters weave through cars from both sides, and many other seemingly insane maneuvers are part of everyday life. For a newcomer, this can feel like total chaos - very risky, even life-threatening.

But when you manage to stay calm and keep your pulse steady, something else begins to reveal itself. Something I would describe as a conscious presence in the midst of chaos, where drivers communicate through eye contact and body language - you or me first?

It becomes like a spontaneous yet beautifully coordinated dance, where you choose not to resist with irritation or frustration, but instead accept the situation and move with its natural

rhythm. A strategy that can be applied to many other areas of life as well.

To find your inner calm in a life, and a world that can sometimes feel like complete chaos, is a deeply valuable ability. But it is far from easy to master or live by. Especially for those of us shaped by the often high-paced, performance-driven lifestyle of the Western world, where thinking and doing are valued far more than feeling and simply being. Where the mind is constantly active, and slowing down feels almost impossible.

And even when we do slow down for a moment, we may feel lazy or unproductive, burdened by guilt, judging ourselves for not doing enough. This constant pressure to perform, combined with our focus on the external world, makes us more reactive - responding with stress, frustration, anger, and judgment. I know this well from my own experience - been there, done that.

Eastern philosophy has much to teach us in the West - especially Taoism and its principle of wu wei, often described as “non-doing” or effortless action. It is about being in a natural flow, in harmony with the rhythms of nature and the universe, rather than constantly forcing outcomes and results. A beautiful metaphor is to sail with the wind instead of rowing against the current. For me, this also means daring to trust my intuition and inner guidance, rather than blindly following ingrained patterns and norms as well as others’ opinions.

Living in Bali has helped my once scattered and hyperactive mind to slow down and find a sense of inner peace I never believed possible. Of course, the major life transition - from a hard-working entrepreneur to a more free-spirited retired woman - has also played a role. But the rhythm and lifestyle here are also gentler, softer and more allowing. Here, the inner world is seen as just as important as the outer one. It is after all where our experience of reality is created. Through our thoughts, intentions, and visions - how we perceive ourselves and the world - and how we then navigate life through our choices and actions.

What I strive for is to find a balance between being and doing, between feeling and thinking. To cultivate more trust and less worry about things I cannot control - and that often never even happen. To live more fully in the present moment, and to easily access that inner stillness that always exists beneath the surface, even when life feels heavy or chaotic. It is in that state that clarity arises - pure and honest. Where decisions can be made from a deeper truth. Where you experience flow - a natural state of ease, where time seems to stand still. It takes time and practice, but this quiet “river beneath the river” is always there within us.

A year ago, I hosted a retreat here in Bali for a group of dear friends from Sweden. We spent a few days on my paradise island, Nusa Lembongan, exploring the magical underwater world. One early morning, we went out by boat to a spot where we might be lucky enough to swim with large manta rays. We were full of anticipation - but the wind was strong and the waves were high. It felt truly intimidating, and even I having done this several times before felt uneasy and afraid. Honestly, we all wanted to turn back.

But our captain reassured us that beneath the surface, it would be calm and safe. So in the end, we chose to trust him and we jumped in. And it was so true. Below the surface, there was complete stillness. In this dreamlike underwater world, we swam alongside three enormous manta rays - up to four meters between their wings. So graceful, so majestic, so incredibly beautiful. Many later said it was the highlight of the entire trip and that they were grateful they had faced their fear. And also... that they had experienced the deep calm that had been there all along - beneath the chaotic waves. A powerful metaphor for life.

It is all about finding a healthy relationship to what happens around us. To navigate the waves without being pulled under by them. Not to deny reality - but not to let it take hold in a destructive way. To learn how to slow down and shift focus when thoughts and emotions start to spiral. Because the more resistance and attention we give something, the more it grows. And remember - a single negative thought can outweigh ten positive ones.

As always, the path is personal. But here are some practices that have helped me find more inner peace:

Giving myself more time alone, to truly and deeply get to know myself.
Embracing silence and reducing the need for constant stimulation.
Breaking habits and addictions of always being connected and available.
Spending more time in nature and appreciating its quiet beauty.
Practising yoga, meditation, and presence in everyday life.
Moving the body, dancing, listening to music that brings joy and peacefulness.
Creating with my hands, especially with flowers, and surrounding myself with beauty.
Pausing and breathing deeply and consciously - working with the breath can momentarily help to shift focus.
Focusing on what brings me joy, energy and meaning, even in hard times.
Becoming aware of how my energy and frequency move - and choosing to keep it as high as possible.

We have to accept that life moves in tides - ebb and flow. And that chaos can sometimes be necessary to catalyse change, leading to something new, and perhaps even better. “Out of chaos comes order,” said Nietzsche. “One must still have chaos within oneself to give birth to a dancing star.” And when we find that place of inner peace, the journey through the storm becomes so much softer, and so much easier to navigate.

How do you find your inner peace?

What tends to stress, frighten or unsettle you? How do you meet it?

 What brings you peace, joy and harmony in life?

How can you best find your own ways towards more calm, security and flow in life, even when hard winds are blowing?

With inner peace,  Agneta