Living in the Present Can Make Life Better
If you’re like lots of us, you probably feel as if time passes far too quickly. Of course, there’s no way to slow time down, but life doesn’t have to feel like it’s passing by quite so swiftly. Making sure to fully experience the individual moments of life can help.
Far too often, we do not allow ourselves to fully experience life as it happens. We spend today thinking about yesterday or worrying about tomorrow. We let some pretty wonderous moments slip by underappreciated or unnoticed. We walk beneath beautiful blue skies or beside colorful flower gardens without seeing them. We talk with people without giving our full attention to what they are saying. We don’t bother to listen to our own thoughts or feel or own emotions.
Studies have shown there are physical and mental benefits to living in the present. According to research, living in the present can help boost positive emotions like joy and contentment while reducing negative emotions like stress and anxiety. It can help improve memory and attention skills. Evidence even suggests that living in the present moment may help improve our physical health.
It’s never too late to start making the most of the present or appreciating the many sounds, sights, colors, smells, and tastes we encounter each day. If you would like to try to become a little more in touch with the moments that compose your life, the following suggestions may offer some inspiration.
A few helpful suggestions...
Focus on today. Be aware of what you are doing each day, rather than what you hope to accomplish tomorrow or what you did, or did not, do yesterday.
Concentrate on each experience. Give your full attention to one thing at a time rather than multitasking. If you’re reading a book, enjoy the book. If you’re dancing, really dance. If you’re golfing, just play the game. If you’re talking with a friend or loved one, listen closely and give the person your complete attention.
Notice everything in your environment. Wherever you may be, take a good look around you. Really see and experience everything you can, even the smallest things. Is there a bird singing in the tree outside your window? What are the colors of the sunset? Are there clouds in the sky? Are there cracks in the sidewalk?
Take your time. Don’t rush through life. Try not to fill up your day with such a myriad of things to accomplish that you end up rushing from one task to the next. Leave some breathing room in each day so you can slow down and really experience life.
Pay attention to your five senses. yourself the following questions. What do I see? What do I smell? What do I hear? What do I taste? What do I feel?
Don’t let your troubles take the wheel. Everyone has challenges and difficulties to face in life, but fretting about something today will not change what happens tomorrow. Worrying takes you away from the experience of living.
Breathe mindfully. Feel air entering your nostrils. Feel it fill your lungs. Imagine each breath being carried throughout your body. Let the repetitive flow of breathing in and breathing out help relax you and keep you connected to the present moment.
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