Living in the present is important because it helps us be conscious with our thoughts, feelings, and experience. If we are constantly thinking or worrying about the future or past there is a lot of disconnect that manifests in the body and mind. The present is where life is happening, it’s where your life is happening. The more you learn to live in the present the more ease and flow you will experience in life.
The best time to practice being in the present moment is when you feel frustrated or unhappy with your present. You might be unhappy with your present because of your circumstance or responsibilities but the thing is, the more you focus on all the reasons you are unhappy the longer you will stay in situations that make you unhappy.
Think about it, if you are only focused on what is wrong and how things would be better in the future if circumstances were different or have been better in the past when circumstances were different, you simply aren't living in the present. All your energy is going to the future and the past and what could have been or what might be. Living in the present helps focus on what is. The more you focus on what is, the more life opens up to you.
Here are four ways you can practice living in the present moment.
1. Make gratitude lists
Making a gratitude list helps you stop focusing on everything you do not have and moves your attention to what you do have and to what is going well. The more you practice being grateful for what you have the more you will receive to be grateful for.
2. Make time to do something you enjoy everyday.
Stopping putting off being happy. Living in the present moment is all about making the best out of your circumstances. Even though you might not be where you want in life or doing what you want, find ways to do something everyday that brings you joy. It’s a greater reminder that you create your reality and you get to infuse your reality with things you like.
3. Find time to be still, focus on your breath, meditate , or move your body daily.
These are practices that are greater for grounding your body, mind, and soul if you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or frustrated. These practices help you move out of your mind and into your body. When you do that you move from worrying about the past or the future into the present moment.
4. Focus on what you can control.
So often we get lost in the future and the past thinking about all the things we cannot control. When you focus on what you can control you automatically ground yourself in the present. A simple way to practice this is to simply make a list of the things you can and cannot control. Look at the list of things you can control and then go do something on that list.
The author is a Business and Empowerment Coach who works with women entrepreneurs on making their dreams their reality through personal development and business growth. Contact details: vanessaseymour.com, email@vanessaseymour.com; Instagram: @vanessa.seymour
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