How to Move Into the Moment — NOW
Living in the present moment, can be exhausting — at first. But it gets easier with practice and then life just becomes so much better.
In the present, big-time experiences become bolder, and anxiety-producing situations become puzzles to solve rather than problems threatening to derail you. Life overall becomes more interesting, and engaging.
When you become present you become a part of your life rather than a spectator watching it.
Imagine hugging your child without any thought of all the homework she has or what you must cook for dinner. You are just wrapped up by those little arms and the loving energy. Soaking it in fully, for just a second.
Imagine, caressing your face as you wash the day off it before bed every night and feeling your skin and your essence and the warmth of the water – in that single moment. Or becoming present to the water you drink. Feel its cool as it rolls down your throat. Appreciate its life-giving qualities. Just for those few seconds as you drink, you experience that and only that.
Being present is really about savoring each experience. And, not only does it ease stress, but it also promotes clarity. Instead, of getting thrown by problems or troubles then, you experience them as a quiet observer not in terms of what might happen, but in small fragments, piece by piece as what is happening now. This ends overwhelm.
For example, when you sit down to pay the bills, you are focused solely on writing the checks, or inputting the account numbers to cover the electric, you are present to only that, instead of ruminating about the Visa bill at the bottom of the pile that you don’t know how to pay.
This present-moment focus offer clarity and calm, which allows you to make better decisions and take targeted action one moment at a time instead of flooding your body with worry and stress that stifles you and keeps you upset and stuck.
So, how can you move into the present?
Four tips that will help you tune in to the moment — NOW.
Become mindful. Several times during the day, practice present-moment awareness by pausing long enough to notice the sensations in your body, aspects of your environment, any thoughts passing through. Don’t judge the experience just notice.
Notice and name the small stuff. Pay attention to the details. The colors and textures, and sounds. Every time you take on a routine task, slow down long enough to notice something new about it. Give it a name.
Lead with your senses. Pay attention to the information your body is bringing in. Then, expand the experience by relying solely on an under-utilized sense. If you are used to “looking” at the world, close your eyes next time you walk in a familiar (and safe) place and experience the environment through your ears, nose and fingertips. Next time you have music blaring, plug your ears and seek out the vibration, or dance in the silence.
Hear those inner voices. Our thoughts can run away with us, but not if we notice. Stop to listen to the inner voice. Hear what it says and the tone it uses. Don’t judge and certainly don’t you start believing it. Just notice. When we pay attention to how we are talking to ourselves we become witness to our experience.
Present-moment living can ease stress and heighten experience, but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t sustain the practice every moment of every day. Just try one (or all) of these exercises for a five minutes a day, every day and soon it will become easier and more fascinating to be in the now. Then, you’ll discover that life opens in a way you’ve never noticed and becomes a fun and bold adventure.
Photo by: Stock.xchng
