‘Living in the Moment’ – we’re all familiar with this saying in one way or another.
Whether you’ve heard it from your parents, your mentors, or even seen it on a t-shirt in a fast fashion store as an inspirational quote, surely, it must be used for a reason!
Yet, we can’t help but dwell on the past, or anticipate what lies ahead of us in the future, so much so, that we can’t truly focus on enjoying the present moment.
We unconsciously think about the future being far more important than where we are now.
We seek happiness in the future, but when that future moment comes, we can’t stop thinking of what else awaits us outside of the present moment – that exact moment we were initially anticipating.
“People live as if the present moment were an obstacle that they need to overcome in order to get to some better point [in the future], which never arrives”
Eckhart Tolle
Why Should You Strive to Live in the Present Moment?
Living in the present; the now; the moment, is the only place you are able to reach true happiness and inner peace.
In order to create a more fulfilled and meaningful life, you’ll need to learn how to take charge of your mind and focus on the present moment, which like any habit or routine, takes time and practice.
Insider has listed 15 ways in which living in the moment benefits your life such as, being able control your emotions better, increased productivity and developing successful habits.
With only positive outcomes of being more present in your everyday life, why wouldn’t you want to make it a priority?
We’ve compiled 4 ways to help you to focus on the now, so that you can live a more fulfilled lifestyle:
How To Live in the Moment
- Celebrate the Small Things
Usually, we only seem to use the word ‘celebrate’ for the big things in life: a birthday; a new family member; graduation; marriage and so on.
But what about celebrating the smaller things? Let us explain:
Have you ever had a really long and tiring day and decided to slip into a nice relaxing bubble bath? That’s exactly what we’re talking about – simplicity at its finest.
Whether it’s the first sip of your morning coffee, the flowers on your kitchen table, or buying your favourite scented candle, begin to celebrate the smaller joys in life, just as much as you do with the bigger ones.
Finding joy in the everyday ‘mundane’ will help you to live for the moments, not ponder your mind into the future hoping for a better and more exciting moment.
By appreciating the smaller things, you’re able to feel happier and more gratified in every minute of every day.
- Practice Mindfulness Daily
Dedicate some of your time each day, specifically to practice mindfulness. It’s essential for you to practice being intentionally present often.
You may feel that you’re already too busy to set aside any more additional time throughout your day.
However, it depends on how much time you want/have to spare for mindfulness practice. It can be 3 minutes or 2 hours, it’s up to you – the most important thing is that you do it.
You can do this anywhere, at any time, throughout your day, although, we suggest to start your day as you mean to go on. Practicing mindfulness in the morning will be most beneficial to help you become more aware of the present moment through the course of your day ahead.
Here are some ways to practice mindfulness:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Journaling – writing your thoughts and feelings
- Gratitude activities – writing lists of what you’re grateful for in the present moment (health, wellbeing, finance, family etc.)
Read now: Practising Yoga: Combating Mindfulness and Fitness for a Healthier Lifestyle
- Love Your Work
When we say love your work, what we mean is, figure out how you spend the majority of your week or day.
Whether that’s your career, or your studies, you need to be content with your everyday work.
When looking at the work week statistics for the UK, we found that the average person works approximately 33.6 hours per week for full-time employment in 2020.
If you don’t enjoy your work, that’s 20% of your week physically spent doing something you dislike, let alone considering the time spent thinking about the job and travelling to your job.
If you’re the type of person who dreads Mondays and has to ‘soldier on’ through the work week just to get to the weekend for some enjoyment, then you need to realise you are wasting over 71% of your life thinking about, commuting to or actually doing the work (if you work 5 out of 7 days a week).
Consider one of these two solutions:
- Find a better way to spend your time (find another job(s), or change your study path)
- Find something you do enjoy within your work/job (your colleagues, the opportunities etc.)
- Screentime Detox
I think you probably knew this one was coming, didn’t you?
We’re all well aware that staying connecting to a device, such as a smart phone, or computer probably isn’t the best way to spend our whole lives, but why don’t be reduce it?
Unfortunately, the cause for our high screentime is likely to be addiction.
Addictions stops you from living life freely and essentially holds you hostage (figuratively). By finding ways to cut down or detox on your screentime, will help you to focus on the moment you’re in, rather than being engorged into what’s happening on your device.
Spend your time away from the screen and find enjoyment elsewhere – in the now.
Read now: The Impact on Screen Addition on Health and Wellbeing
Final Thoughts
It’s incredibly easy to be wrapped up and distracted with the thousands of thoughts we have each day.
It’s natural for your mind to wander into the past, or to the future, if you’re unaware of the importance of staying connected to the present moment.
If you stick to these 4 daily mindfulness tips, you’ll realise that the benefits of living in the moment are well within your reach. Over time you’ll be able to see your outlook on life shift into happiness, gratitude and contentment.
When you take the initiative to live in the moment, you’ll see that your outlook on life will transform greatly.
Read now: Practising Mindfulness in Nature: Sticking to the Present Moment.
At Ceed, we know how important it is to live a better life. That’s why we have specialised life coaches to help tailor a plan specifically to you, in order to help you live in the moment in your own life. Visit our website to find out more.