Do you ever rehearse the past? 

Have you ever replayed a difficult conversation in your mind and gotten upset all over again?

Have you ever ruminated on something you said and been “totally embarrassed?”

Have you ever replayed a situation and felt your stress and anxiety rise?

We often spend time ruminating on the past and it can be destructive to our present level peace and happiness.

Do you ever worry about the future?

Have you ever wondered how you’ll get everything done?  You’re thinking about the bills you have to pay, the house you have to clean, the things you need to finish at work, the appointments you need to make, the loved ones you need to make time for and the list goes on and one.

Spending too much time on the future can also be destructive to our peace in the present moment.

Do you ever spend your time thinking of being done with the drudgery of work so you can get to the part of life you enjoy?

With all that’s going on- it’s no wonder that we struggle with our minds spending so much time in the past or the future.

Research shows that the happiest, most content and less stressed people are the ones who spend more time living in the present moment.

Living in the present moment means that we are focused on what’s going on right here, right now.  

 

Of course, our minds will always travel to the past and future but our goal is to spend the majority of our time in the present moment.

We can’t really ever be anywhere but where we are, but our attention, our mind, travels elsewhere all the time.

 

How do we bring ourselves into the here and now?

Here are 5 practices you can use that will help pull your mind back into the present moment.

The advantages of practicing these will be, less anxiety, stress, worry, fear, doubts and insecurities AND an increase in peace, happiness, calm, faith and confidence.

Play around and discover which ones work best for you and begin to implement them in your life.

 

1) “Am I Here?”

To be here in the present moment requires you to NOT be somewhere else.

Pay attention to where your mind is.

Ask yourself, “Am I here?” Make this simple but profound question a habit.

“Am I in the past, the future or focused on the here and now?”

 

2) “The Body”

Your physical body is always in the present moment, unlike your mind which wants to be anywhere else.

Pay attention to your physical body.  Focus on your hands, fingers, feet, legs-notice how they feel-this pulls you out of your mind to the present moment.

 

3) “Sound”

Listening to sounds does the same thing.  It pulls you out of your mind and into the present moment.

“What can I hear right now?”

I hear the birds singing, the air conditioning running, the sound of the keys on the computer, etc.

 

4) “Breath”

Pay attention to your breath.  Notice the feelings and sensation when you breathe in and notice it again when you breathe out.

Focusing all your attention on your breath is one of the fastest and best ways to pull your mind out of the past/future and back to the present moment.

 

5) “No Next”

Remove the next.  Imagine that there is no next event, next task, next person or next day, next week, next job-there’s not anything to get to.

STOP your mind from preparing or getting ready for something else to come or the next thing you need to do.  There’s NO NEXT.

Completely focus

on what you are doing now.

 

Each of these practices holds the power to BOOMERANG us back into this present moment.  Discover what works for you and then make these practices a part of your daily life!

 

They are called practices because even a few moments, practiced consistently, can change your life. Each time you practice being in the present moment, you will get better and better at it.

We often miss out on enjoying our life when we spend so much time wrapped up in the past or the future-in a story that’s gone or hasn’t arrived yet.

 

Practice being in the PRESENT MOMENT and see how it can POSITIVELY change your life!

Theses practices are easy to do but remember, “that which is easy to do is also easy not to do.” 

 

Still STUCK?  Seek out Coaching!

Call or email Fay today for a FREE, NO OBLIGATION consultation to see if coaching is a right fit for you!

507-829-0181

fay@fayprairie.com