Live in the moment...
I'm pretty sure we've all heard the saying as it's become a popular "catch phrase".
So...
what exactly does it mean? Why is it so important? For those of us with issues such as anxiety, stress and fear we tend to live in the past or the future.
We will continually re-live a past event that was painful or we fret relentlessly about something we fear will happen in the future.
Our thoughts, feelings and emotions are engaged the majority of our day with a past event or an unwanted future event.
However, in any given moment how much of what we fear is actually happening at this very second? Sure there are scary or troubling times in life but they come and go.
We are created to experience anxiety and fear during these times but once these times pass our emotions are designed to settle back down.
When we continually play that mental movie over and over in our minds we keep these anxious and fearful feelings engaged non-stop.
Living in the moment means accepting your life exactly as it is in this moment.
It means not allowing your thoughts to be focused on a past or anticipated future event.
Does this mean I should not care about my unpaid bills, the future of my career, my troubled marriage, my son moving away to college in the fall? NO! Absolutely you should care about these things and deal with them appropriately but in this moment: - if you don't have the money to pay for the bill or it isn't due yet than how will worrying about it help it get paid? - if you aren't at work or in a position to do something to solidify your future in this regard will obsessing about it help? - if your spouse and yourself aren't dialoguing at this very moment will continually replaying your last discussion in your mind be a productive means of reconciling your relationship? - if your son isn't driving down the driveway with his car packed how will spending your mental energy protect or prepare him or yourself for this event? Even if in the long run you can't pay your bills and you lose your job and your marriage breaks up and your son gets expelled from school will worrying about it now do anything productive in dealing with these situations? Living in the moment or saying "it is what it is"...
doesn't mean you need to pretend you like what is happening it is simply saying you see it for what it is and you accept it in this moment.
It also doesn't mean you are giving up and saying "who cares"? If while living in the "now" you don't like what is happening in this moment it does not in any way mean you need to roll over and allow it to be happening in the next moment.
Recognize what is happening today...
accept it...
make the most of it...
and if you don't like it then take action to change your tomorrow.
Easier Said Than Done.
You better believe it.
For most of us worrying has been a lifelong habit.
It isn't an easy one to break and more than likely you will not completely overcome it in this lifetime.
Don't be discouraged though...
try to think of it this way instead...
Would you rather have a few brief moments of inner peace and freedom throughout your day or live all day long with constant anxiety? Isn't it better to have 20 seconds of relief in any given hour than not? Simply do your best and enjoy every second you live in the moment.
Start with a goal of 5 seconds...
do your best to stop thinking about anything from the past or the future and focus on this exact moment.
What do you see? Feel? Smell? Hear? Don't think about these things or try to process it.
Like watching a cloud pass by simply observe all that is going on.
If you lasted 5 seconds than be thankful for them and enjoy them instead of being discouraged and beat yourself up for not going longer.
Next time try for 10 seconds...
then 20...
You will succeed and you will fail.
It will be exciting and it will be discouraging.
Just remember every second you live in the now is one you didn't spend with anxiety and fear so enjoy and be grateful for those seconds.
Right here...
right now...
can you accept this moment and enjoy it for exactly what it is?
I'm pretty sure we've all heard the saying as it's become a popular "catch phrase".
So...
what exactly does it mean? Why is it so important? For those of us with issues such as anxiety, stress and fear we tend to live in the past or the future.
We will continually re-live a past event that was painful or we fret relentlessly about something we fear will happen in the future.
Our thoughts, feelings and emotions are engaged the majority of our day with a past event or an unwanted future event.
However, in any given moment how much of what we fear is actually happening at this very second? Sure there are scary or troubling times in life but they come and go.
We are created to experience anxiety and fear during these times but once these times pass our emotions are designed to settle back down.
When we continually play that mental movie over and over in our minds we keep these anxious and fearful feelings engaged non-stop.
Living in the moment means accepting your life exactly as it is in this moment.
It means not allowing your thoughts to be focused on a past or anticipated future event.
Does this mean I should not care about my unpaid bills, the future of my career, my troubled marriage, my son moving away to college in the fall? NO! Absolutely you should care about these things and deal with them appropriately but in this moment: - if you don't have the money to pay for the bill or it isn't due yet than how will worrying about it help it get paid? - if you aren't at work or in a position to do something to solidify your future in this regard will obsessing about it help? - if your spouse and yourself aren't dialoguing at this very moment will continually replaying your last discussion in your mind be a productive means of reconciling your relationship? - if your son isn't driving down the driveway with his car packed how will spending your mental energy protect or prepare him or yourself for this event? Even if in the long run you can't pay your bills and you lose your job and your marriage breaks up and your son gets expelled from school will worrying about it now do anything productive in dealing with these situations? Living in the moment or saying "it is what it is"...
doesn't mean you need to pretend you like what is happening it is simply saying you see it for what it is and you accept it in this moment.
It also doesn't mean you are giving up and saying "who cares"? If while living in the "now" you don't like what is happening in this moment it does not in any way mean you need to roll over and allow it to be happening in the next moment.
Recognize what is happening today...
accept it...
make the most of it...
and if you don't like it then take action to change your tomorrow.
Easier Said Than Done.
You better believe it.
For most of us worrying has been a lifelong habit.
It isn't an easy one to break and more than likely you will not completely overcome it in this lifetime.
Don't be discouraged though...
try to think of it this way instead...
Would you rather have a few brief moments of inner peace and freedom throughout your day or live all day long with constant anxiety? Isn't it better to have 20 seconds of relief in any given hour than not? Simply do your best and enjoy every second you live in the moment.
Start with a goal of 5 seconds...
do your best to stop thinking about anything from the past or the future and focus on this exact moment.
What do you see? Feel? Smell? Hear? Don't think about these things or try to process it.
Like watching a cloud pass by simply observe all that is going on.
If you lasted 5 seconds than be thankful for them and enjoy them instead of being discouraged and beat yourself up for not going longer.
Next time try for 10 seconds...
then 20...
You will succeed and you will fail.
It will be exciting and it will be discouraging.
Just remember every second you live in the now is one you didn't spend with anxiety and fear so enjoy and be grateful for those seconds.
Right here...
right now...
can you accept this moment and enjoy it for exactly what it is?
Source...