Need for Peace

Evidence

Low-conflict conditions can allow resources to shift from defense to development. This need may motivate de-escalation, boundary agreements, and restorative practices. Peace enables sustained focus, trust, and growth.

Details

When people aren’t preoccupied with conflict or threat, they can redirect their energy and resources toward positive development – such as learning, creating, or building better lives. This basic need for peace may drive behaviors aimed at reducing or preventing conflict: people will try to calm tensions, establish clear boundaries or treaties to avoid clashes, and use restorative methods to heal disputes that do occur. By helping to maintain peaceful conditions, individuals and communities can sustain focus on growth activities (education, commerce, relationships) rather than on defending against danger. Research in conflict psychology notes that ongoing strife consumes mental bandwidth and material resources (for defense or worry), whereas periods of peace correspond with economic growth, improved mental health, and stronger social trust. Thus, peace isn’t just the absence of war or fighting – it’s an enabling environment that allows trust to deepen and constructive efforts to flourish over the long term.

Supporting sources

[1][2][3][4]
Citations
  1. 1
    Hyder et al. (2022) Pan American Journal of Public Health: synthesis linking peaceful conditions with better population health, mental health, and development outcomeshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9535176/
  2. 2
    study: chronic conflict or exposure to violence diverts cognitive and economic resources; peace-time leads to improved cognitive function and societal progresshttps://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-50470-001
  3. 3
    Carpiniello & Pinna (2023) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: review documenting the mental-health costs of armed conflictshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9957523/
  4. 4
    Tay et al. (2022) The Lancet Public Health: analysis of the mental health needs of displaced people exposed to armed conflicthttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00088-3/fulltext
Add personal strategy

Strategies

Reminder: This static site saves data in your browser; clearing local storage removes it, so export backups.

Stare off

Sit or lay down and just notice everything your body is feeling. I like to start with my toes and work my way up to my forehead while I'm just staring off. Reminding myself where I am in the world.

Nat • Missouri

Go on walk

I know you probably hear it a lot.. but going on a walk really can make a fascinating difference.

Nat • Missouri

Listen to music

A lot of variety available to you here. Could benefit from calming music or raging music. You do you ;)

Nat • Missouri

Butterfly taps

Cross arms over chest and tap alternately left/right for 60 seconds.

Hand on heart breaths

Place a palm on your chest; inhale for 4, exhale for 6, five times.

Box breathing

Trace a square with your finger: inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4 (4 rounds).

4-7-8 breathing

Inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8 (four cycles).

Count 20 exhalations

Silently count only the out-breaths from 1 to 20. If you lose count, restart.

Soft-gaze minute

Choose one spot and rest your gaze there for 60 seconds.

Sky glance

Look up at the sky and track one cloud or patch of blue for 30 seconds.

Turn on Do Not Disturb

Set DND for 10 minutes; return when the timer ends.

Slow-walk 60 seconds

Walk deliberately slowly for one minute, feeling each step.

Body scan (30 sec)

Scan from toes to head naming neutral sensations only.

Breath with steps

Take ten steps; inhale for two steps, exhale for three.

Name what’s outside control

List three things outside your influence today.

Three breaths before reply

Take three breaths before sending your next message.

Align x3

Choose any three nearby items and apply one simple rule: align one edge, sort big-to-small, or make a clean line. Arrange them once, then stop to register the order you created.

Shadow Line

Rotate a nearby object until its shadow makes a clean line or pleasing shape, then pause to take in the look you created.

Grain Trace

Run a fingertip along a visible line (wood grain, tile grout, fabric seam, etc.) until it ends, and let that completion register.

Corner Count

Pick any rectangle in view (screen, book, ceiling tile) and count its corners clockwise until you return to the start; let the tidy loop register.

Add a strategy

Tip: On desktop, hold Ctrl (Windows/Linux) or Command (Mac) to pick more than one need.

Personal strategies you add stay on this browser. Visit the inventory screen to export them if you would like a backup.