So one of my goals this year is to be more present…more in the moment and appreciating that moment more fully. Quite frankly, it’s been more of a challenge than I thought it would be! I have always been a future thinker, never stopping to enjoy or fully appreciate living more in the present. So what does being “present” even mean anyway? Does that mean you have to twist yourself into a pretzel, chant “ohmmmm” and not do anything? I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t work for me!
To me, it means centering yourself on whatever it is that you’re doing at that time. It means quieting all the other noises and voices and junk that is constantly competing for your attention.
Changing things up this way is a great way to really challenge your perspective, expose some hidden limiting beliefs and stretch you out of your comfort zone. So if you struggle with being more fully present and “in the moment”, here are some tips that I have found helpful.
- Engage all of your senses. Concentrate and focus on what you see, smell, hear, taste and touch. When you involve all of your senses in what you’re doing, it creates a mindfulness without you thinking “I’m paying attention”…it just happens naturally.
- Allowing openness in. We all have our protective armor that we wear and walls that we surround ourselves with. Take the armor off, step outside of the walls, and allow a bit of vulnerability into your life.
- Don’t react; respond. Part of developing mindfulness is that you start practicing the ability to respond and not just react to situations. Reacting means that we allow externals to control us; responding means that we have the control.
What one thing can you do today to live more fully in the moment or be more present? How have you incorporated this in your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
What a great reminder that the past is gone, the future is – as much as you try and plan it – ultimately unknown, and the only thing you really can control is the present. I have that same struggle as you – I used to do 10 things at once, talk to people in person while typing on my BlackBerry, check email while doing work; and Social Media at times doesn’t help either. I recently started reading “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff” and the permeating message is to be in the moment. That way I’m not missing any opportunities, being observant and picking up on the blessings I have in front of me, have better relationships, and there is more inner peace. I’m glad you wrote this post – it’s a very important thing to practice!
Thank you Paul:-) I think the other challenge we face is that everything around us is moving so very fast we hardly have time to catch our “mental breath”! We’re so afraid that we might miss something and don’t pay attention to what’s right in front of us. I love “don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”~I have pages highlighted and dog eared in that book for sure:-) that book is a treasure trove of awesomeness! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts:-)
This is either deja-vu or you’re psychic 🙂 I was JUST thinking less than an hour ago that I should write a post on my “terrible impatience” and how I have this OCD for closure- to be done with whatever is at hand. The idea of living in the present is huge, maybe more so than ever in this day of unlimited distraction. Even in a conversation I can get preoccupied with what I’m about to say rather than fully absorbing what the other person is saying. A very simple physical thing i do is just take a few deep breaths and a mental time out. Praying always helps me too as it re-centers my whole being and helps with the react vs. respond point that you made above. Great post Danielle, thanks for the reminder. Keep up the good work!
LOL; you found me out…I’m psychic! I know exactly what you mean J; I have this almost compulsive need to “get done, get done, get done” and move, move, move onto the next thing! Just being aware of our comfort zones and what our natural tendencies and patterns are can be so empowering! I hardly ever took the time to take that mental recentering and now I find that if I don’t I’m not nearly as likely to respond versus react. Thank you for stopping by:-)