How to be Present & Live in the Moment
It can often feel like life is passing you by.
Too often we are concerned with everything else in our daily lives that we forget to enjoy the moment itself.
Whether its constantly stressing over work with the ridiculous amount workload placed on your shoulders.
Or being low on cash trying to find a way to make more money to pay your bills.
There always seems to be something going on.
Something stressing us out to where we can never really think about anything else except for the things that causing all that stress.
We can often become trapped by our thoughts, battling the fear of being unhappy and unhealthy.
Not knowing what to do or where to even start to change our lives for the better.
However, all of this stress about the unknown is causing you to miss out on all the beautiful things life has to offer.
You’re missing that beautiful view with your loved ones as you take a quick drive to the store.
You’re missing the quality time and possible memories you could be creating with those you love because you aren’t present.
Even when you think you are you aren’t.
Whether it's starring at your phone scrolling through Instagram while trying to multitask and have a conversation.
Or being trapped in your mind thinking about that project that is due next week.
You believe you’re multitasking and that you are giving your attention to whomever it is that you’re talking to but you aren't.
It’s rude and only shows that you aren’t really interested in what that person has to say.
The same goes for having your phone on the table when you’re at dinner.
To be present means to actually be there.
So in this blog post, I am going to share with you 2 incredibly simple tips on how to actually be present and actually enjoy the moment.
Let’s go!
Put Your Phone Away!
First things first, put your phone down.
This is probably the easiest/most difficult thing for many of us to do.
Your phone is good for a lot of things. Especially in public.
It works as a go-to during awkward situations. It helps as a distraction when you're bored. But it also stops you from being present and dealing with whatever situation you are in.
Whenever you are out with your loved one or hanging out with your friends it's okay to put your phone away.
You don’t have to constantly be in touch with people who aren't at the event you are at.
You don’t need to check social media to see what people are posting.
If you have work to do, or people from work are constantly messaging/emailing you asking you questions.
Let them know you are out with your significant other and that you will respond either when you get home or the next day.
Put your phone on do not disturb and actually have a conversation with whomever you’re with.
Be there with them, laugh with them, enjoy their company. This is a precious moment that you may not get again.
Don't take it for granted. You should want to be there fully and enjoy the time you have with that person.
And if you don't then why are you there? Life is too short to be spending time with someone you don't want to be around, or doing things that you don't enjoy.
Practice Mindfulness
Life is stressful (trust me I get it).
But dwelling on the past or worrying about something that may not even happen in the future isn’t gonna do anything but steal your happiness in the present.
The next time you feel yourself getting anxious about something that hasn't happened yet ask yourself this one simple question.
Is it really that serious?
Is it serious enough that it needs all of my attention right now?
You may think it is (and sometimes it actually may be) but oftentimes, it can wait.
You deserve a break every now and then. I know it may seem like you need to get everything done right now.
Like you don’t have any time to waste and everything needs to get done right now at this very moment.
But if you stay locked in without every coming out for air. Life is going to pass you by and you will wake up one day alone and unhappy.
Practice being present.
Observe the things that are happening around you.
The next time you're feeling stressed out, listen to the birds chirping and the trees blowing ever so gently in the wind.
Are the birds even chirping right now? Did you even notice?
Watch as that butterfly tries to navigate through the sky and the squirrel running around searching for food.
The next time you find yourself trapped in your mind. Use all 5 of your senses to break yourself out of it.
What do you smell, feel, hear, taste and see?
Can you feel the breeze outside? Do you smell someone cooking something that smells absolutely amazing?
This is just a simple mindfulness trick to help you break out of your mind and be more present and aware of what’s going on around you.
But that is it for today.
Let me know in the comments below how this works for you.
As always, with love,
Steven
P.S. The next time you go out to eat with your better half. Make an effort to keep your phone off the table and to actually enjoy their company.
Talk to each other, be present with each other. Laugh, joke, and love each other. Don’t worry about posting your meal on Instagram or letting people know you went out to dinner.
Just enjoy your dinner and the company you’re with!