Often, our lives feel very rushed, we feel as if time is just passing by without us making much use of it, or stopping to enjoy the present. Usually when that happens, we’re either living in the past, i.e., thinking about past events, why they happened etc. (i.e. overthinking about the past instead of actually reflecting) or living in the future, i.e. thinking about what’s gonna happen in the future, feeling anxious or stressed about it (instead of “visualising”, which is actually good).
What we can do at times like these is to take a step back, try to look at our situation from a third-person point of view, take a day or two off from our work if needed and be more present.
Living in the moment or being present does not mean you think about now and only now. It means to enjoy the current moment while healthily visualising (if you please) and planning the near and far future. See, you live this moment once. We don’t have time turners or time travellers like all those books and movies you’ve read and watched. So, enjoy this moment to the fullest.
Sometimes, we reflect on the past. That’s a very good practice indeed. Sometimes, we regret things, which is okay too. But, do not live your life or have your mind set in the past. You learn from every moment in the past about things you can and cannot do. You learn about people and you realise what many things mean. That is what you get from the past.
About the future, well, no one really has any idea as to what will unfold in the future, all we have is now, and the things you do in the present will alter your future accordingly.
Keeping that in mind, we’d like to give you a few tips from our experience on how you can be more present:
1. Don’t Judge Yourself: Everyone has phases, and as long as you’re taking steps to come out of a negative phase, everything will be okay.
2. Write Things Down: Writing down everything, every thought on your mind, just getting them out, really helps you to sort out what’s important and what’s unnecessary, and it will help you in figuring out why you’re either living in the past or the future.
3. Focus On The Task At Hand: Instead of constantly thinking about what you have to do next, try to focus 100% of your attention on the work you’re currently doing. Do this by eliminating any distractions, and avoiding multitasking. If you still have distracting thoughts, you can set aside time for thinking about things unrelated to your work.
4. Think, don’t overthink: If you’re stuck in an overthinking loop, a few things you can do to come out of it are- talk to someone you trust: they’ll help you see a different perspective; know that overthinking will not be fruitful to you in any way, and whatever has to happen, happens. You must always just focus on what is in your control, and let go of what isn’t.
5. Visualise, don’t daydream: If you’re living in an imaginary world most of the time, you can never be in the now and will miss things happening right in front of your eyes, and most probably even regret it.
6. Ground yourself: Another way to be present is to observe things happening right now. A helpful way to do this is to list- 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste at that time. Really what this technique does is that it “forces” you to actually think about this moment and not get lost in your thoughts.
7. Be Grateful: Even something as simple as writing down things and people you’re grateful for helps you to acknowledge the present.
Some of these tips are easier said than done, but we believe anything can be achieved if you practice it enough.
Taking all that into account, we’d just like to say that all everyone has in control is now, just this moment. As we all know, the past cannot be changed, and absolutely no one knows what will happen even in the next minute. And as it has been said,
“Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery; but Today, is a gift. That is why it is called the Present”.
So, be here and enjoy the present : )
Thank you so much for reading this blogpost! We hope you gained something out of it : )
The original featured image used in this blogpost is by Fernando Jorge on Unsplash.
You can DM us on our Instagram account @jhs.ay.write, or email us at ayjhswrite@gmail.com if you have any suggestions or feedbacks. See you all next week with a new blogpost! Till then, stay safe and healthy.
— JHS and AY.
JHS and AY Write 