Staying present and stepping out of the past

“Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.” ― Walt Whitmanf

How often are you living life, and how often are you just fantasising about it? It can be easy to look back at times wishing they could be changed, or to look to the future with dreams of what you wish to be. The problem is while doing this; life can go by unnoticed until one day it is too late, and life is over!

Without presence and awareness life becomes nothing more than a movie script, lacking in real-time content.

Still it’s not all doom and gloom. It is possible to live a rich, happy, and contented life in the present. By all means have dreams but don’t forget to breathe in the riches of what is happening now. Life is short so let’s try and not be in such a rush to get through it. Let’s also not get stuck in the past. Neither serves us. Instead, learn to simply ‘be’.

Here are my top three tips on staying present:

1. Use all your senses. Instead of spending all our spare time on computers and smartphones,try instead indulging daily in activities that help you connect with what is happening now. Try walking, cooking, crafts and hobbies. Even washing the dishes can be done with awareness. Conscious eating is a good one too. So often we just sit in front of the TV and forget how much better food tastes when we are present.

2. Learn to forgive. Forgiving is different to forgetting. It is important to set healthy boundaries. Things like bitterness, anger, regret, fear, etc… can end up hurting us if left to seed. A good mental attitude can have an effect on our physical health. If anyone has hurt you, or if you have any regrets, try writing a letter and getting it all off your chest. Remember to destroy the letter once finished, this will help clear away any energetic rubbish.

3. Have goals and plans but don’t live in the future. If I had a pound for the number of times people, have said to me when I get here I will be happy. Sure, go for things and do picture your dreams, but don’t forget the journey along the way. If you start drifting too much out of the present, your greatest tool is calm, deep breathing. Just by observing the breath we have access to a meditation into the present whenever we need it.

So by using all the senses, stepping away from the future, letting go of the past, and through deep breathing, life can be lived in the way it should be, in the here and now.

Happy times in the present moment. Keep being.