How many times have we been somewhere and seen people looking through their camera or phone as they take photos or videos? They’re thinking about how they will post it on social media later and what they’re going to say, rather than really appreciating the unique opportunity to enjoy it and live in the moment.
At big events like concerts, so many people are looking at their phones instead of committing what they’re seeing to memory. Let’s be honest, once we’ve taken that video or photo, how often do we look at them again? Could we simply feel pleasure because we’re somewhere we feel truly happy and part of something? Once we’ve missed a moment it will never be recaptured and, sadly, we often don’t even know what we’ve missed.
How living in the present moment helps our mental health
Being present and living in the moment can help with anxiety and stress because when we concentrate on the present it helps us to stop the worrying thoughts. We’re not allowing ourselves to ruminate and wallow in those things. When we live in the moment, we feel grounded and realise the only true reality is now because both the past and future exist only in our minds.
How to live in the moment
What can we do to be more in the moment? How can we really feel aware, be present and appreciate being alive – here and now? This is even more important if we’re struggling with stress and feeling overwhelmed by all everything we need to do in our everyday lives.
Spend time in nature
Being out in nature is a good way to live in the moment, especially when we follow the same path regularly. We can notice how it changes from day to day through the seasons. Every year I grow a veggie patch and I love it because it grows so quickly and changes every day. In the height of summer, I have to harvest beans or courgettes every day, and I always wonder at how amazing nature is.
Focus on your senses
Take time to laser in on one of your senses. Stop, look about and find all the things in a certain colour. Look around the room for all the blue things. Other people might prefer to focus on their different senses and think about what they can see, hear, or feel. You could focus on all the sounds in your high street or all the smells in the park. This way of living in the present moment can be particularly helpful for people who experience high anxiety or panic attacks.
Enjoy one single thing
One of the best ways to feel like you’re living in the moment more is to focusing on one thing at a time. We do multitasking without even thinking about it. When we’re in the middle of writing an email and we glance away as our phone pings a notification. Or grabbing a sip of coffee and thinking about all the things to do that day while trying to ignore the children squabbling.
Giving one single thing our full attention helps us to focus on our priorities and feel more productive.
Take a pause
Simply stop and take a pause. In a world where everything is so fast-paced and any information is at your fingertips, just stop, breathe deeply and notice your surroundings. We look, but do we really see? Enjoy where you are more often.
Let your mind wander in smaller doses
Our minds wander all the time and we think about the past and the future, which is completely natural. It’s fun to look back and think about all the fun experiences we have had or things we’re looking forward to doing. The trick to being more in the moment is to do this in small doses and avoid dwelling on the negative times too much.
Notice what’s been good
Write down the good things that happen each day. The big things don’t happen every day, but the small things we notice can make us feel grateful. It might be spotting a beautiful flower, having a pleasant exchange with a stranger at the bus stop, or enjoying a good cup of tea. These are the simple joys of life that can help us to live more in the moment. Knowing we need to write them down at the end of the day helps us to pay more attention to spotting them. This creates more opportunities for us to live in the moment and to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
Breathe
Breathing is a great way of thinking about the present moment. It’s one of our life forces and among the few things in our bodies that we can control. We can’t control how many toxins our liver is filtering for example, but we can teach ourselves to breath more slowly and think about how we’re breathing.
Living in the moment with autumn leaves
At the end of last year, I was walking home and having fun crunching leaves because it was the start of autumn and there were lots of leaves about. There’s a feeling of pure joy to get a good crunch out of a leaf and I even went out of my way to step on them. It made me realise this small action was being in the moment and I felt really aware of my surroundings.
Then I started to think about the actual method I was using. I tended to step on them with my left foot even though I’m right footed. In fact, just that one observation made me want to be even more aware, so I made the conscious choice to find three things I hadn’t noticed before in my surroundings.
Focusing on the here and now can be a challenge, however, it helps us to feel alive and vibrant. Observing those small things can make our lives more meaningful as we feel part of the world around us, rather than moving through it.
What will you do to live in the moment and make life feel more meaningful?
About the Author: Carmen Harrington practices from her therapy room in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. As someone who has struggled with confidence and anxiety in the past, she knows how positive and lifechanging hypnotherapy can be. Carmen’s specialties include: Anxiety, Confidence, Addictions, Teenagers, and Phobias.
Find out how solution focused hypnotherapy could help you to reduce anxiety and cope with stress – get in touch to book your FREE hypnotherapist consultation.
