Being present, being in the moment is very difficult for most of us to accomplish for any length of time. We are constantly thinking of the past, worrying about the future, listing things we need to do, things we want to do, etc. We are so used to doing routine activities that we can easily perform them while our brains run a hundred miles an hour thinking thought after thought after thought.
Have you ever arrived home in the car and cannot remember the journey? Or done something on auto pilot and then not been able to remember later if you did it? These are common signs that you are not being present in the activities that you perform.
We often have so much to do and we feel that we need to plan and order our tasks and of course we do need to plan our days, but when your thoughts are running riot in your head ask yourself, “Do I really need to be thinking of this know?”
When you are present, no matter what the activity, you can experience more peace and harmony, we begin to notice little things around that can be sources of joy.
One way to experiment with being present is to focus all your attention on your senses when you are performing an activity, so for example, the next time you are chopping vegetables think about what you are doing, what can you feel, what can you see, what can you smell, what can you hear, what do they taste like, etc. By engaging your senses you plant yourself firmly in the moment. The activity comes alive in front of you and is much more pleasant. You can do this when you are driving, cooking, cleaning, working, any activity where you normally would be running over thoughts in your mind.
The more you bring yourself into the present moment and experience what is happening around you at any given time, the more conscious you are of when you are not being present and the easier it becomes to bring yourself back to the here and now and fully experience the moment.
Being present can be a great way to reduce anxiety and fear. Being present stops negative thoughts escalating and multiplying rapidly. Being present brings you to a place of calm and peace where you can feel centered and at one with all that is.
You may also be interested in reading Being Grateful Blog Post and Mindfulness Reiki Attunement
