Live in the moment. Did you know this helps with any anxiety, stress, depression, and worry? Living in the moment cures yourself of any of these problems. You see, living in the moment – in this very moment – is kinda hard to do. We all think about the future, and it’s important to think about where we want to be in the coming months etc. It’s important to plan and make arrangements, to visualize and to have goals for a good future. However, daydreaming about the future and stressing about problems unforeseen can cause us to worry and fret over things that have not happened or may never happen. Most everything we think about in the future is impossible to do without some thought of anxiousness. At the same time thinking about yesterday can also be destructive and unproductive. Learning from the past is so very important too, however when we let it paralyze us and prevent us from moving forward it can be detrimental in our progress and in our happiness. It can cause depression to look back at mistakes or mishaps, misfortunes or regrets. Of course we want to do our very best every day and improve upon our yesterday. We want to grow and learn from the past – but living in the past is misery, only because we cannot do anything about it. Even if yesterday was happy, yesterday isn’t today. Yesterday is gone. What we have is now. Tomorrow has not come yet. Focusing on the present with our best efforts can do miracles for our mental state of mind. Being present is a focus, and a thought process that is difficult but possible to achieve, it is something we ought to be doing for good health.
We need to focus on building a life of happiness right now because this is all we can control and all we possess. One of my favorite ways to live in the moment is when I’m singing. In fact while I’m singing I think about nothing at all. It’s truly a wonderful thing for my brain to not think and just let go. Let me explain a little bit better. As I sing, and perform my mind is clear of any worry, it’s clear of any thought of the future, it is clear of anything at all. I am simply living and thinking only of that very moment. It’s difficult to believe this is true but it is true. The minute I think of something else, I may mess up my words, or my pitch or any number of things. It’s important for me to channel all my focus on the very moment – the present. My thoughts need to be completely free. Free of lyrics (those need to be memorized far in advance) and I also need to be free of any worry. Most people are terrified of performing for a large audience of any kind and it stresses them out completely. They “worry” about the “future” you see? But if you don’t even think about the future, and you live in that moment, there is nothing to stress over. Prepare yourself, obviously and then just push on. Push forward into the land of unknown. It’s faith. It’s stepping into a place you have no control over other than the preparation you’ve done beforehand. Now you just let go and let what happens happen.
If I could just do this all day – every day – I’d be in perfect mental health! (Haha, okay at least I’d be in much better mental health) I’m telling you though it’s difficult. Living for today is a challenge. If you have suggestions please let me know how you do it? I have been practicing this a lot lately. Here are a couple of tips I’ve discovered. 1. If you ever catch yourself down on yourself – check and see if you’re thinking about yesterday or the past – STOP immediately and do something active with your brain. Pick up a book and start reading, go play the piano, or exercise. 2. If you catch yourself in a frenzy of worry or stress – check to see what it’s about – the future? Yes. STOP – Make yourself a list of all the things you need to do to take the worry away. Ease your burden by doing something today about what may come in the future. (This is tricky, if the future problem is REAL, meaning it’s causing you stress because you have an event you’re planning and you want to make sure things are going to go smoothly – you can DO something about it right now to prevent the worry later.) If this “worry” is about something out of your control and you find there is nothing you can do today about it. Let it go – it is doing your body harm to “stress” over it.
Practice. I know this isn’t easy to do. (Didn’t I say I’m working on it too?) Just know that the first step to living in the present – is to check yourself often and bring yourself back to today. Be gentle with yourself. These are new habits you’re trying to create and old habits you’re trying to change. It takes practice, but try anyway. Be patient with yourself and over time it will bring happiness to your life.
