For most of my life, I have realized I used to live either in the past, crying about something, or daydreaming about the future, or worrying about what if it does not happen the way I want it to be
Here is why it is important to live in the present more
There is so much stress about living in the moment everywhere. And if you are confused or find it difficult to understand why it is given so much value, I want to break it down for you.
The present moment is the only thing that is real.
Like I said in the beginning, past and future do not exist; one is gone, and the other does not exist yet. The only thing that is real is the present moment you are in now, the moment you have right now, and that is the only thing that matters because if you are not living in the moment, you are not really living.
The present moment is the only thing that gives you power
Because it is the moment you get to live in, you have the power over it. You cannot change the past or do anything about the future because the moment has not come yet.
But you can, to a very great extent, control your present; you get the power to decide how to live and what decision to make right now. This makes the Present even more powerful; it can change your future, too, and it can help you detach from the past.
Just by dwelling in the moment and doing your best, you can improve your life, feel happier, and create a better now as well as a better future!
It improves your mental health, you feel happier and more peaceful
Certainly, living and being focused in the present moment means you are not caught up in overthinking. You are enjoying and making the most of the moment you have now, and that helps you improve your mental health and feel happier and at peace.
The same happened with me, since the day I started focusing on being present and focusing on my “NOW”, I have been so much happier. Instead of living in my head, overthinking, I have started to enjoy my life now!
How to live in the present moment
Bring your focus to now and yourself
First and foremost, to practice living in the present moment is a mindful practice you need to develop. Right now, you are used to constantly thinking about the past or future and struggle to stay focused on the now.
It is a reminder you need to keep putting for yourself that every time you find yourself getting lost in thinking about the past or future, you bring your focus to now.
The moment you are in, what are you doing? What are the things in your surroundings? How do you feel at the moment?
Activate all your senses and dwell in the moment again. Over time, it will be easier to let go of thinking and focus easily on the moment.
Practice gratitude
A lot of times, the present moment might seem like a struggle, and you feel unhappy or low. It can seem challenging to want to be in the moment because you are feeling negative about your current reality.
But trust me, there is so much abundance in your present life, there are plenty of things I can be grateful for, I would try to find joy and gratitude in the little good things in my life, and look forward to them so I can be more present and happy.y
There might be 1-2 things not going your way right now, but you definitely have control over so many good little things in life, and you can just try to focus on those blessings. There is always something to be grateful for! trust me
Romanticize your present life.
In one of my last posts, I shared how to romanticize your life. It is something I have started to do this year, and I kid you not. I have been able to be more present and focused on myself in a good way, and I feel happier.
We keep longing for an escape from life; we think that when we get something, or we reach somewhere else, we will be happy then.
I used to think that way too, and once I realized what I was doing, it hit me that, eventually, if I do end up getting what I want, I would not be happy.
Because happiness is not a place or achievement or a person, it is a mindset. So, in an attempt to start being happier in my current life, I started to romanticize small things daily.y
Engage in activities that keep you present.
If you notice, as a kid, we were always busy with activities, aka hobbies. playing and doing something fun so that there is no room for thoughts
These activities would keep us fully present in the moment because we have so much fun, it is kind of like meeting your best friend, laughing and talking to them.
We are so fully present and busy having fun in that moment. So what if you find those activities that you can do by yourself, that are fun and keep you present?
It would be so much easier to spend a few hours every day being in the moment and letting our minds stay quiet for a while, no overthinking, no sadness, just peace and joy!
Build a mindfulness routine.
Mindfulness is all about being aware of the moment and the activity you are doing. If you are eating your breakfast, instead of distracting yourself with food or thoughts, you keep your attention and focus on eating.
The more you practice this technique, the easier it will get for you to be mindful or be present in other activities, too. So you can choose 1-3 activities for your day in which you will be actively practicing mindfulness, like brushing your teeth, eating, or cooking.
Every day when you do these activities, try to practice mindfulness
Connect with your breath
The quickest way to bring yourself back to the present is through breathing. Concentrate on your breathing every time you find yourself lost in thoughts, occupied with worry, or anxiety.
Start bringing your attention to your breathing for a few minutes, as long as you can, and you will instantly find a sense of calm.
Try to breathe slowly, inhale less, and exhale more, and slow
Remind yourself to enjoy the process
We are so focused on the outcome and just want to reach the result as fast as possible. But the thing about living this life is that the end outcome is not what makes up your life as much as the process does.
Maybe getting that award on stage is your outcome; that moment lasts only a few seconds or minutes, but the process to get there takes weeks, months, or even years.
So, enjoying the process to get there is more important than the outcome. Every time you feel impatient or anxious about the future of your life or outc.ome
Simply, remind yourself to enjoy the journey to get there, whether it is hard or not. Find that thrill and excitement in the moment! That’s the key practice of living in the present moment.
Be in nature more
Nature is very calming. If you notice every time you are surrounded by lots of greenery, mountains, or the beach.
Your mind automatically starts slowing down and thinking less. It feels very peaceful. So if you find it difficult to be in the present moment, and you notice that you are dwelling in an overthinking way too much.
Go to a nearby park, lake, or beach, and go hiking, and it will be so much better.
Step away from social media now and then.
You cannot be present in the moment if you are constantly equipped with your phone and social media. Looking at other people and their videos, and living in this virtual reality all the time.
You need to put that device down and be in the real world more, go out, socialize, meet new people, see places around your city, or travel.
Now and then, take a social media break, even if it’s for a day. This is how you are going to be in the moment and not stimulated.
Practice detachment
The Law of Detachment is something I have been learning about lately, and hoping to write a post on it soon.
I have realized that detachment is the key to peace and happiness, whereas attachment to anything, people, things, and places leads to unhappiness and misery.
Everything is temporary in life, and there might be a few things or people who remain longer, but in the day, everyone and everything fades away.
When we get attached to a particular person or desire too much, we become obsessive and controlling around it.
That’s where our unhappiness and anxiety begin to form. We can enjoy all the things in life without making ourselves attached to them.
Obviously, easier said than done, but it is 100% possible to master the law of detachment, and once you do that. You will be more present in what you have and make the most of it!
Realize that thinking about the past or future is keeping you stuck
At the end of the day, you have to understand what I have probably said a million times by now. The present moment is what matters; it is what life is, and it is the only thing that gives you power.
So if all you do is think and worry about the future or past, you are just keeping yourself stuck and drained. Thinking will not lead you anywhere, but the actions and steps you take now will
You can choose to overthink and waste the moment, or make the most out of it now. This is how you practice living in the present moment.
Focus on today’s to-do inspired action.
Continuing with the above point, focus on your day’s work. I get it, we get impatient and too focused on the outcome, and we wanna reach our goals faster.
But if you are constantly worrying and stressing about it, you are delaying the process, not enjoying it, and simply wasting the moment you have n.ow
Focus each day on your to-do list that helps you get where you want while feeling like you have already reached there. If you do this, you will notice that not only are you able to enjoy the moment more, but you get there faster!
Practice mindful eating
As I mentioned above point, practicing mindful eating can be just one of the simple steps to begin practicing living in the present moment!
There are so many benefits to mindful eating, other than just being present. Your digestion gets better when you are mindfully eating as well!
Add movement to your routine.
Moving your body can also help you stay present.
Actively engaging in a physical activity that makes you sweat and heartbeat, you are more focused at the moment, and your mind tends to be quieter!
Do any activity you prefer, dancing, swimming, playing a sport, gym, or pilates. The list of activities is endless. Choose any that you enjoy and do it more!
Do more small things that make you happy.
Honestly, when we are truly happy, we are not thinking; we are just in the moment and enjoying.
Think of a moment you felt really happy in the past, and now try to remember what thoughts were running through your head when you were this happy.
No thoughts, right?. That’s what I mean! So now if you start doing small things every day that make you happy, you will be more present, as you will be thinking less.