Does your head ever replay old scenes from your life?
Remember that embarrassing time when……? Remember how Joe talked to you……? Remember how dumb you acted when………..? Remember last year when you screwed up and so and so was so upset with you……………? Remember how humiliating it was when………?
And, on and on the memories of the past go.
Does your head ever imagine worrisome, stressful events in the future?
What if this goes wrong and it ends up a mess…………? What if such and such happens………? What if I’m never able to lose weight, be successful, be in a good relationship, get along with my family, get all my work done, get my life together, figure it out, etc., etc…..
When you replay the past, you feel sad, depressed, disappointed.
When you play out the future, you feel anxious, worried, overwhelmed and stressed.
Research shows the key to success and happiness, to less emotional difficulties, to living an easier life is to be in the “Here and Now”–to live in the Present Moment!
Here are three steps to help you live in the Here and Now……where your feet reside!
Step One
Be conscious of your thinking. Whenever you find yourself thinking of the past, notice and acknowledge it and then use self-talk to pull yourself back to the present moment and to what is happening now.
“There I go again, remembering something embarrassing in my past or something awful that someone said to me.”
“It’s over and done and I’m going to let that go and focus on right here and right now.”
Step Two
Use self-talk to remind yourself to be thankful for the lessons you learned from past events.
“Each and everyone of those experiences helped me to become who I am today. They were all growing experiences in my life.” “I’m thankful for all the learning opportunities.”
“Now I choose to learn what I can from them, let them go, and live in the present moment.”
“The past is done and gone and I will choose to focus my energy and thoughts on the present moment.”
The more you use this self-talk, the easier time you will have letting go of the thoughts about the past.
Step Three
Make an effort to completely focus on your current environment and tasks at hand.
Feel the chair you’re sitting on, the floor you’re standing on. Notice the furniture in the room, listen to the noises around you, really see and hear what is going on in the present. Put 100% attention on what you are doing, whether it’s cleaning, writing, visiting–give it all your focus.
Focusing on your surroundings and what you are doing now is a great way to get your head out of the past and future and back to the present moment.
Like anything, the more you practice this, the better you will get at it!
Before you know it, you’ll significantly reduce the amount of time you spend in the past or future! Your life will be easier for it!
