Are you living in the present moment?
Living in the present means that you are completely aware and conscious of life as it happens in the here and now. You aren’t thinking about the past or worrying about the future, but you are living where life is happening.
The past and the future are illusions of the mind and the only time that actually exists is this present moment. But we all struggle with living in the present moment at times and beat ourselves up over mistakes that happened in the past or worry about the things that haven’t even happened, yet or may never occur the way we imagine.
If we can learn to live in the moment, we can dramatically improve out emotional well-being and positively impact our physical health. We all know that the constant stress we carry with us can have a detrimental impact on our health. However, if we live in the now, we live with acceptance and can forgive our past mistakes and with that lower our stress levels dramatically.
Living in the moment takes practice, but is most certainly attainable. Here are our TOP 10 tips to learn how to live in the moment.
#1 Pay Attention to the Little Things
Observe the world around you and notice the little things. Living in the moment means that you pay attention to the small things in life and be thankful for them and in turn this will help you to create more positive experiences in life. What are the little things that make you happy? Listening to music, eating ice cream, enjoying your morning coffee with the sunrise, blowing bubbles, reading an inspiring book? Pay attention to those little things and you will see that they can make a huge difference in how you feel and be able to live in the present.
#2 Focus on the Now
In order to be able to live in the moment, you need to focus completely on the here and now. Focus on what or who is right in front of you and focus fully on what you are doing in this very moment. Turn off your computer, power down your phone or tablet and shut off the TV. Eliminate all the unnecessary distractions and savor the present moment. Some people refer to this as mindfulness and if you can be mindful and live in the present moment you can significantly lower stress levels and blood pressure, boost your immune system and experience a whole lot of other beneficial mental and physical side effects like feeling more secure, having higher self-esteem and simply being happier.
#3 Give Thanks
Be thankful! It sounds easy enough, but it isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to come around to express your gratitude. Make it a habit to every single day stop for a moment and take inventory of just how good you have it. And if you feel gratitude or think it, say it out loud right here and right now. Living in the moment means to express your gratitude the moment you feel it and if you are grateful for your friend for making you laugh, thank him or her for being in your life and supporting you.
#4 Smile
Smiling is one of the easiest things that can change the way we feel in an instant. You want to know how to live in the moment? Look into the mirror and smile at yourself. Many studies have looked into how emotional faces influence the way we feel. If we feel happy, we smile. If we smile, we feel happy. Our face has the ability to communicate our state of mind to others as well as to ourselves. Put a smile on your face! It will make you happier and it will help you to appreciate life in this very moment.
#5 Do One Thing at a Time
Multi-tasking is the opposite of living in the moment, so make it a point of doing one thing at a time and single-task. When you are eating, just eat. When you are cooking, just cook. When you are brushing your teeth, just brush your teeth. When you are taking a shower, just take a shower. When you are driving, just drive. Don’t try to knock off a few tasks while you are eating or taking a shower or cooking. Stay in the moment and focus your attention and energy on whatever it is that you are going right this very second.
#6 At Least Five Minutes a Day Do Nothing
In our modern, fast-paced world this is one of the most challenging things to do, but also one of the most important. Turn off all your gadgets and simply sit in silence for five minutes. Focus on your breath and nothing else and when a thought pops up in your mind, become aware of your thoughts and what direction or patterns you can observe. Or simply sit on a park bench and observe the world around you. While we are always on the go and busy with a million things, it is important to learn how to become comfortable with stillness and with silence. You’ll be surprise how good you’ll feel and it only takes five minutes a day.
#7 When You Talk to Someone, Pay Attention
We’re all guilty of this. When we are in conversation with someone, our mind wanders off to our to-do list or we are thinking about what to say next or we ponder the project that we need to finish by the end of the day. Don’t be that person and instead, really listen to what the other person has to say. Focus, be present and enjoy your time with that person. You will learn how to live in the moment and build stronger relationships at the same time.
#8 Love
Nothing gets you quite into the present moment like being in love. Whether it’s the guy next door or that gorgeous pair of shoes, allow yourself to let your heart skip a beat. When you allow love to enter your life, you accept yourself and love life just like it is and once you feel that love, it will spill over into everything you do.
#9 Perform Random Acts of Kindness
Those selfless, radom acts of kindness don’t just help others, they help you to be in the present moment and put a smile on your own face just as it does to others. And by random acts of kindness, we mean just that… Let them happen randomly, spontaneously, in the moment. One of the easiest ways to live in the moment is to do something nice for somebody else without expecting anything in return and it doesn’t just help you to live in the moment, it improves that moment for somebody else and yourself. So next time you see a pregnant lady struggling with her groceries, carry them for her. You see a person walking in the rain, offer your umbrella. You see an elderly man in the subway, offer him your seat.
#10 Don’t Worry
This one may be a little bit harder, but whenever you are overcome with worry, try to remember that worrying won’t change what will happen tomorrow. And every second you spent worrying about the future is a second you waste in the present moment. Worrying takes you out of the now and transports you into the future. It is impossible to worry and live in the moment at the same time, so stop worrying and enjoy the moment.
Many believe that living in the moment is contradictory to pursuing your goals and dreams. However, if you can cultivate mindfulness and live in the now, you will enjoy life more and it will help you tremendously to achieve your goals. In fact, many scientific studies show that you are a lot more productive when you are living in the present. But even more importantly, living in the moment is without a doubt one of the best ways to enjoy life to the fullest. You enjoy family and friends more, you enjoy food more, you enjoy exercise more, you enjoy everything and anything you are doing more. And isn’t this a life worth pursuing?
TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT IS GENUINE FREEDOM EVERYONE DESERVE TO EXPERIENCE
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked