Being Present
I often hear recommendations to:
‘Live in the present moment’
‘Be present with your family’
‘Stop dwelling on the past or ruminating on the future, and focus on being present’.
Meditation gurus suggest that the goal of meditating is to be present and aware.
I like to think that I’m present. I flow through the world connecting with people, responding to the needs of others, and active each day.
But am I really present? Why is this even important?
How do we know if we are disconnected from the present moment?
While reading, do you have to reread the same page multiple times to gain meaning?
Do you rewind a podcast or audio book because you weren’t listening the first time?
Do you ask your family the same question multiple times, not remembering their answer?
Is it hard to fall asleep at night, with your mind spinning?
Is it difficult to complete a task because other sub-tasks sneak in?
Chances are, you experience distractions in daily life just like I do.
Why aren’t we present?
There are so many reasons we may not be present.
There is always so much to do. We have busy schedules filled to the brim with activities. We are overworked and often juggling priorities.
We take pride in our ability to multi-task.
The pesky phone with emails, texts, phone calls, social media, and alerts distract us from What Is.
Often we are not present when it is painful to be fully here. When there is tremendous physical pain or mental/emotional turmoil, it doesn’t feel good to feel. Being ‘checked out’ can help us to cope with hard-to-handle life drama.
So many of us are taught to tune in to external sources. We tune in to other people’s feelings, expectations, and wants. When we are so focused on the world around us, we often lose touch with ourselves.
Why do we want to be Present?
When we are in the present moment, we FEEL more!
Grief takes us into the past. Anxiety transports us into the future. We only feel JOY in the present moment. Joy expresses as dancing, smiling, laughing, singing...Being.
Being present allows awareness of the difficult emotions too. When the grief, sadness, or frustration come through, being present allows us to process these emotions. We feel, express, and process emotions, allowing them to let go. We find ourselves no longer dwelling on the past and future, as we process in the Now.
When we are present, we can focus, accomplishing more at a faster pace with ease. Our minds are clear and aware.
How can I become more Present?
We can all become more present with a few simple steps.
Slow Down: Release the focus on DOING and accomplishing, and instead focus on BEING. Just be.
Let go of the future: expectations of certain outcomes.
Let go of the past: blame, resentment, guilt.
Trust the process and trust your intuition to flow you exactly where you are meant to be.
Meditate: the quieter mind will gift you an awareness of What IS.
Focus on the 5 senses. When you pause to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch, you are fully in the Now moment.
Allow yourself to focus on one task until completion, rather than attempting to multitask.
Commit to yourself to taking a few baby steps toward being present. Every bit counts and heals. Let me know how Joy expresses in your life!
