When it comes to life, many of us are always going to find that we’re often stuck living in the past or worrying about the future. And while this is very normal, it can also be something that holds us back from actually enjoying the now. Living in the now can be very hard to do. After all, we’re all humans with minds and we can spend a lot of time thinking. Whether it’s going over things in our minds, planning things we need to do, daydreaming, or even dealing with anxiety, each of these things (among many others) actually stops us from being able to be present.
You may have heard many things about being present in recent years. It’s something that we’re all becoming increasingly confident about. And it’s not just about being mindful either – because it’s not just meditation that can bring you into the present. Being present and living in the now is the key to living a fulfilling life. After all, we don’t want to spend the bulk of our time living in the past and feeling as if we’re always worrying or missing out on life.
If this is something that you’ve been feeling or experiencing, then you’ve come to the right place. Because in this blog post, we’re going to run through exactly why it’s important to live in the now and how you can do it. Let’s take a look.
What Does it Mean to Be Present?
So first of all, let’s break this all down. Because you may be curious about what it actually means to be present. Maybe you’re thinking, well I’m here and I’m living and breathing, so surely that means you’re present – right? Well, not entirely. Presence in this sense is entirely mental. Sure, your body is physically present, but we can often find that our minds are elsewhere. This is what can stop us from living a truly fulfilling life and oftentimes, we’ll find that we’re stuck with a narrative in our minds that just doesn’t match that of reality.
Why Do We Get Stuck in the Past?
One of the ways that we do this is by reliving the past. And this is very common. It’s something that so many of us do – whether we’re replaying moments that happened, living with regret, or stuck in memories that seemingly feel more fulfilling than our present moment. But in doing so, we’re taking away joy from ourselves today. Sometimes, you may find that the memory is altered too. We can relive things so much that we end us changing what actually happened!
Or Worry About the Future?
Another way that we do this is by thinking too far ahead in life. How often do you try to plan the future? It’s something that we all naturally do, but in doing so it can make reality hard to digest. When things don’t go our way or we feel out of control, it can jeopardize our happiness and cause more anxiety and stress in our lives. It’s okay to make plans and have goals in place, but it’s being in the present that will allow you to bring it all about.
The Importance of Now
This is why it’s essential for us to focus on the now as much as we can. This is less about the idea of being spontaneous and reactive in life, but more so about being present and in the moment. When you’re present, you can keep your mind so much calmer and focus on enjoying your life, rather than worrying. After all, now is the only thing that we have guaranteed. And it’s in the now that we’re able to create the lives that we actually want.
Making the Most of Our Lives
When you think about that, you can see why it’s just so important for us to be able to make the most of our lives at all times. Life is short and before we know it, we’ll be looking at headstones for our loved ones or thinking ahead of our own mortality. But why allow that to happen when there’s still plenty of time for us all to live our lives to the fullest today? And there’s only ever one way to do that, and it’s by making the decision to make the most of our lives in the now.
Finding Inner Peace
When we start to think about why this really matters, there are a range of benefits that come with learning to be more present – along with a range of ways to actually do it. Of all the reasons why you might want to do this, is to allow yourself to find more inner peace. This is something that many of us aspire to but aren’t always able to achieve. But if you know there’s always a lot of noise in your mind, then it’s going to really help you to be present and find more inner peace.
Being Our Most Authentic Selves
Do you ever feel as if you’re living a lie? Well, maybe not as extreme as that, but it could be that you feel as if you’re hiding your true self or you feel too afraid to share your opinions, do the things you want with your life, or even live in your own way. When you’re all up in your head a lot of the time, you may find it really hard to just be yourself – maybe you’re even stopping yourself from actually being it! So learning to live in the now might allow you to do this.
Practicing Mindfulness and Meditation
As much as we’ve said that being present isn’t just about meditation if you’re unsure how to control your thoughts and bring yourself into the present moment, then you’ll find that bringing mindfulness into your life through meditation practice can help. Once you bring your awareness into the present moment, it’s much easier for you to be mindful. It’s one of those things where you need to be able to catch yourself when you’re drifting off and bringing yourself back into the moment. Focusing on your breathing can really help with this.
Letting Things Go
Another very important step of living in the now is being able to let things go. We all get stressed out or anxious about things in life, but having the ability to cool off quickly or detach from those things can help to bring you into the present moment. If you’re always holding grudges or replaying moments in your mind, you’ll find it hard to feel inner peace. It will help you hugely to be able to let go and bring yourself back to the peaceful present whenever you catch yourself going.
Forgiving and Accepting Yourself
If you’re always so hard on yourself, you may find that you’ll be living in your mind a lot more than you need to be. You have to be kind to yourself. You have to learn to love yourself, forgive yourself, and accept yourself for who you are. You’ll find that life feels so much better when you’re able to do this. After all, you’ll be able to set standards for how you’ll accept being treated this way.
Living Life on Your Terms
Finally, you’re going to find that ultimately, you get to live life on your own terms when you approach things in this way. It’s all about knowing that you can live your life how you want to and find happiness. Sometimes, we can find that we’re all up in our heads about things because we’re unable to let go and release the stress and anxiety we’re so used to experiencing. Yet when you’re then able to bring yourself into the present and cut the negative thought patterns, you can start to make the most of your life, your way!
Stepping into the Now
And that’s all there is to it. Now, you may find that this isn’t going to happen overnight – and it’s really not going to. However, you can start to make progress by setting the intention too. After all, you’ve thought and lived one way all of your life, so it’s going to take some work to change that. By deciding that you want to try and live your life to the fullest now is always going to be the best possible start.
Now that you understand just why it’s so important, you can start to work your way through some of the tips in this post. While not all of them may speak to you or feel like things that you want to try out, there will be things that do. It’s all about ensuring that you’re able to get yourself into a position of happiness and fulfillment without dealing with so much stress and anxiety in your life. And when you achieve that, everything you want your life to become is certainly possible. So enjoy the journey and see where the present moment can take you.
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