What The **** Does Being Present Even Mean?
Staying in the present moment can absolutely enhance your wellbeing, healing, health, and the overall quality of your life in innumerable ways. The problem is few among us have any idea what the hell this even means.
Here are five tips to help you to figure it out for yourself.
1. Practice Mindful Breathing
Set a timer for 3–4 minutes. Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down, if that is more comfortable for you. Now turn your attention to your breath. Inhale deeply through your nose, hold for a moment, then exhale slowly through your nose. Continue this process until the timer runs out. Simply try and focus your attention on what you are doing. When thoughts of the past or future enter into your mind, just bring your attention back to your breath. It is totally normal to have to do this many times even over the course of 3 to 4 minutes…in the beginning. Try to stay with this exercise for a week or two daily before deciding whether it has value for you.
2. Notice
Whether you are walking on the street, driving in your car, or sitting in your living room, take a moment to use what you see or what you hear to connect with your surroundings. If you’re driving or walking notice what you see. If you’re sitting in your living room, close your eyes and focus on what you hear. These sensory exercises will help you to be immersed in the world, to feel more a part of, and, of course, to learn what it feels like to focus your attention entirely in the present moment.
If you want to take this a step further select a color, any color will do, and look for it wherever you happen to be. If you are driving you might pick the color red, and watch as this color suddenly appears in the strangest of places (places you’ve never noticed before).
3. Limit Distractions.
Try putting aside time within your day to commit to limiting distractions such as your phone, computer, other devices, and/or to avoid multitasking. Give your attention, instead, to what you are doing. Whether you are taking a shower, brushing your teeth, working on an assignment, or doing almost anything else, giving this activity your full and complete attention will help you learn how it feels to be present, absorbed within the here and now.
4. Practice Gratitude, Look For What you Like
Take 5 minutes each day to reflect on what you’re grateful for in your life presently. Write down three things that make you happy, make a list of what you feel appreciative for, or look for 5 things you love about your partner, best friend, family member, child, etc. This will help you to move away from replaying regrets, worrying about the future, or noticing all that is wrong with…well, everything. This practice teaches you how to focus your attention at will, and to cultivate a more positive mindset.
5. Engage in Physical Activity…Mindfully.
Whether it’s walking, yoga, or any other form of exercise, physical activity can help ground you into the moment. Focus on the movements of your body, the rhythm of your breath, and how your body feels. This mind/body awareness can enhance your connection to, and awareness of, the present. To learn more about how to walk mindfully check out this article.
Incorporating these tips into your daily routine, even for just a few weeks, can help you cultivate a greater sense of what it means to be present and to begin to understand its power and potential to be of value to you.
