The idea of living in the moment has sparked a lot of curiosity over the past several years. Obviously, people who have tried it have found it to be somewhat fulfilling; otherwise, there would be no reason to suggest doing it. Many people who have never tried the practice of mindfulness might wonder what benefit it provides. Perhaps the greatest benefit of living in the moment is it gives you a chance to appreciate life for what it is today, at this very moment. After all, you can’t change the past, and while you can plan for the future, you have no control over it.
The only moment you do control is now. When you are focused on now, you can make the greatest impact of the future, and you allow yourself to heal from the past. here are some ways you can start living in the moment today.
1. Focus on Now
Focusing on the moment is an act that requires conscious living. This doesn’t come easily for many people and it takes practice. When you’re in a moment, instead of worrying about the future or having regrets about the past, you learn to enjoy the moment you are in now. You become open to feelings of happiness.
This doesn’t mean you need to meditate in silence. You can be doing any activity, alone or with other people. When you’re in that moment, you focus on that moment. Focus on your senses. How does the moment feel physically? What does it look like? How does it smell? How does it sound? Finally, How does it make you feel emotionally?
2. Lose Track of Time
When you are truly in the moment, you allow yourself to lose track of time. When you reach this state, you have truly reached the moment because you have not allowed distractions to pull you out of it. Worrying about time is a distraction because if you’re worried about the time, you’re worried about the future.
3. Accept What You Can’t Change
One of the better living tips to living in the moment is learning to accept what you can’t change. Everyone has feelings from the past that continue to haunt them. When they are dug up, they can take control of how you feel and sap the enjoyment from your life. For this reason, you may not want to face these feelings, and you end up trying to bury them. The result is fresh pain every time these feelings and memories resurface.
However, if you learn to face these feelings, you can start to heal, because you have no choice but to accept them. If the pain is now, it is your moment. Accept you cannot control what has happened, that the way you feel is normal, and now you are in the present, so what can you do now to feel better? As you adjust to accepting what has caused your hurt, you can begin to move on from it.
4. Don’t Have Too Much Going On
Trying to focus on too many things at once isn’t going to lead you to mindfulness. It’s going to lead you to distractions and allow your mind to wander into the future and the past. It’s also going to make you less productive.
Stay focused on one task so you can remain in the present. It allows you to be more productive and better at problem-solving. People might claim multitasking makes them more productive, but it’s actually the opposite that is true.
Practicing mindfulness takes time, but when you perfect it, you find true happiness. Don’t expect to be able to live in the moment every minute of your life, but you should try to do it often in order to experience the positive benefits. Practice mindfulness techniques over a weekend to find out if the art of living in the now is right for you.
