Living in the moment sounds wonderful. But how do you do that?
How do you “live in the moment” when you are so busy? So much to do. So many responsibilities.
Isn’t living in the moment a luxury for people who have lots of free time?
In reality, the present moment is the only one that exists. The past is gone, and the future is not here. Yet instead of experiencing what is around us, many of us spend our time regretting a past we cannot change or worrying about an unknown future.
But you can change that. Follow these seven simple tips and you will learn to live in the present and find joy every day.
1. Meditate: Learn How in Under Two Minutes
Meditation trains you to live in the present moment. But if you haven’t meditated before the thought of doing so seems daunting.
Meditating is much simpler than you think. Sit comfortably. Breathe in for six seconds. Pause. Breathe out for six seconds. Repeat 10 times. That’s it!
Repeating a phrase helps you focus. The late Thich Nhat Hahn taught me this:
“Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.”
2. The Secret Ingredient to Find Joy in the Present Moment
You are working hard so that you can have all the things you need to be happy.
But when you focus on your wants you will never find joy. Instead, remind yourself of all the things in your life you have to be grateful for.
Look at your life now. The people who love you. What you have. The freedoms you take for granted. Now write a gratitude list.
3. Park Your Butt on a Park Bench
The world is beautiful. But you are too busy running around to see it. You walk around so absorbed in your thoughts that you don’t even notice your surroundings.
Go find a quiet park, garden, or spot in nature, and just sit. Don’t talk or think. Just sit and observe.
What do you see? Let your eyes wander up, down, and around, stopping to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you, including the flowers, trees and sentient beings.
4. Tell the Voice in Your Head to Shut Up!
The chatter in your head won’t stop. Constantly nattering, analyzing, criticizing. Never giving you a break. It is making your brain hurt!
Tell your monkey mind to shut up! You don’t want to listen anymore. Instead, you are going to listen to the sounds around you.
What do you hear? Are the birds chirping, the wind blowing? Are raindrops pattering on the roof? So many wonderful sounds. Don’t let them pass you by.
5. Connect with the Earth
Many of us are so removed from nature that we think of soil as dirty. But all life comes from the earth and returns to it.
Connect directly with the ground with your hands, feet, or whole body. Feel the healing power of Mother Earth.
Take your shoes and socks off and walk barefoot through the grass. Or take up gardening. Discover the Zen of weeding. Get some dirt on your hands.
6. Unglue Your Eyeballs From Your Phone
You keep checking your phone every few minutes to make sure you aren’t missing out. Meanwhile, time marches on.
Either turn your phone off or move it to another room. Like all addictions, it will be hard at first. But you can do it!
With temptation removed, you can focus on real life. Your life. Soon you will feel a sense of relief as the stress of keeping up is eliminated.
7. Memento Mori: Remember You Will Die
Reminding yourself that you are going to die may seem morbid. But what it is doing is reminding you to live now. Not for some unknown future.
Many of the things you think are important, like social status, will be irrelevant when you die. So thinking of death reminds you to embrace life.
Each day remind yourself that life can change in an instant. “Memento Mori.” Repeat it to yourself throughout the day and use it to guide how you live.
Living in the Present Moment
You want to live in the moment, but you didn’t know where to start.
Now armed with our 7 simple tips you can learn to let go of the past and future, and experience the joy of the present moment.
Are you ready? Breathe in. Breathe out. Let’s go!