The Art of Living in the moment!

We sometimes hear people talk about the importance of living in the moment. We might hear about the different ways it will benefit us. It all sounds wonderful, but how exactly can we live in the moment when our mind is constantly racing, worrying about the past or future?

Why Do We Worry Though?

Before we answer this question, it’s important to distinguish between worry and concern.

When we are concerned about something, we are more likely to deal with real problems with real solutions.

Being worried, on the other hand, involves unrealistic thinking. We may worry about a problem; that doesn’t really exist or dwell on all the bad things that can happen as a result. Then, we start to feel helpless. Either way, we have difficulty dealing with uncertainty, which is a normal part of life.

Certainly, some of our problems may not have desirable outcomes, Some problems may be beyond our control. In such cases, it can be hard to avoid worrying, but not impossible.

We sometimes worry when we don’t know how to deal with a problem.

Steps to Start Living in the Moment

Step 1: Overcome Worrying

In order to overcome worrying, we need to do two things:

Learn How to Live in the Moment. By living in the moment, you achieve stillness inside and are able to see more clearly. The reason some problems seem so daunting is that our mind is racing so fast that we cannot see things as they truly are. So we figure out a bunch of possible scenarios in our mind, most of which are unlikely to become true. In addition to seeing more clearly, living in the moment will help us think more realistically. Unrealistic thinking is fueled by confusion and uncontrolled emotions. Calming your mind will reduce confusion and calm your emotions.

Learn to Focus on Solutions Instead of Problems

Step 2: Identify Obstacles which combats to Living in the Moment

In today’s busy world, it can be a challenging task to accomplish. The reasons revolve around how our mind works, and outside influences.

Racing Mind

Many busy people have a racing mind that never seems to slow down. Their mind gets so agitated from too much sensory stimulation.

You see, anything that stimulates any of our five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell) will trigger a thought, and that thought leads to another, and then another, and so on. If you have a busy life, all your activities will overstimulate your mind, and make it seemingly impossible to slow it down. And an agitated mind wants to go to another place and time.

Unpleasant Situations and Troublesome Past

None of us want to be in unpleasant situations or remember past experiences. They can bring up painful emotions, which we don’t want to feel.

So how do most people cope up with painful emotions?

By doing whatever we can to avoid them, and we can avoid them by taking our mind to another place and time where things are more pleasant.

A Wandering Mind

From the moment we are born until the time we die, our body and mind are active performings some function. So it’s natural for our mind to have some level of activity, whether conscious or unconscious.

Generally, a wandering mind is unproductive. As noted above, one starts an endless chain of thoughts. The reason is that one thought reminds us of something else, and this process can go on until we need our mind to perform a specific function, or until we get distracted with something else.

Outside Influences

Most of us are not fully aware of how our environment and social norms influence our thinking and behavior. People and institutions are constantly competing for our attention. The news media draw our attention to the past, and advertising usually to the future.

Step 3: Practice Mindfulness

So how can we live in the moment in a world that is constantly trying to draw our attention to the past and future?

The benefits of living in the moment are well within your reach, no matter how much your mind is racing.

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