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A New Approach:
5 Life-changing Benefits of Being Present
What does it mean to live in the moment?
How can I be more present?
If your thoughts are stuck in the past you will most likely be stuck reliving negative past experiences which can lead to depression and dark thoughts.
If your thoughts are in the future, you will most likely experience anxiety and obsess over what the future holds.
If you live in the present, you will feel in control and more at ease.
Peace
There is peace in knowing that you are exactly where you need to be right now. There’s no such thing as being behind in life. There’s only being where you are and the path you’re creating. To be behind means to be behind someone walking the same path as you. No one is walking the same path as you.
Happiness
Living in the moment promotes feelings of happiness and serenity.
Happiness is connected to the feeling of being present and in the moment. Happiness is a mindset and an attitude that you are in control of. Remember that you can control what you are thinking. We have the power to train our thoughts to think in the present.
The moment we catch ourselves being distracted and thinking past or future thoughts we must redirect our focus to thinking in the present moment.
Gratitude
That moment we realise we are not in the moment is a very powerful realisation and we need to use it as a signal to ground ourselves in the moment. Look for something you can savour. Find something that you can focus on right now and be grateful for. An example would be enjoying a beautiful meal with friends and family. Enjoying the flavours of the food and beautiful company. It is all about gratitude. Small acts of savouring are how you expand your happiness.
Recognize your cravings
All you have to do to quit smoking is notice when you’re having a craving, and respond to it by doing anything other than putting a cigarette in your mouth. That is the entirety of the goal, and it’s small enough to be achievable any time. If you lose sight of that, you might misunderstand quitting as some big, abstract goal that can never be done now, such as “Maintain perfect self-control for the rest of your life.” It works the same with anything else.
Boost your social skills
If you stay in the present when you meet someone, abstractions like job titles and education levels seem quite distant, if they’re present at all. You get a feel for the other person’s humanness above their social position, and visual cues matter less. This humanness is a shared quality, and on that level you feel like equals. It’s impossible to see someone’s personhood and simultaneously appraise them, or wonder how they are appraising you.