LIVING IN THE NOW: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
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“When you are here and now, sitting totally, not jumping ahead, the miracle has happened. To be in the moment is the miracle.”
- Osho
Some months back while I was sitting with my family, I was thinking, contemplating, panicking about things that might happen in the coming months. I was experiencing bouts of anxiety, like never before. I noticed my breath was very shallow, I couldn’t concentrate easily and I felt out of touch with myself. I was focusing my mind unconsciously on the past and the future. It was then I realized that anxiety usually happens when our mind wanders into the past or rushes into the future. All this changed when I understood the importance of the present moment and staying in it.
Being in the present moment means that we are conscious and aware of what is happening at this very moment! Being present in the current moment is magical. Accepting that situations, events of the past, and future are out of our control is very liberating. It helps us to fight the anxiety and cuts down the worrying. Living in the present is not just a fad or trendy lifestyle tip but an evidence-backed mindful way of leading life. Science says that when one focuses on the present our brains become less reactive to stressors and recover better from stress when we experience it.
Living in the present and being mindful is simple but not easy. It requires conscious awareness and a commitment to staying in the “NOW”. Thoughts of the past and the future are bound to come, our brain is obliged to produce thoughts. When we practice mindfulness we are just choosing not to dwell on them, we observe them and let them move through our mind.
We can stop our mind from focusing intently on thoughts and focus on the now by
1) Shifting our focus to the task in hand and doing it mindfully. If you are cooking, you focus on the dish that you’re preparing. And every time your mind wanders, you bring it back to the present, gently. We can acknowledge the thought which is passing and then get it back to the work.
2) Practicing gratitude every day helps us stay in touch with all that we have at present with ourselves. When we celebrate/appreciate people, relationships and things we have, we tend to put our mind and soul to it. Which eventually nurtures the happier self within us.
3) Indulging in Yoga is also helpful for staying in the present as yoga focuses on the breath. And when we focus our attention on our breath we naturally come to the present, without much effort. As our present is rooted in our breath.
4) Monotasking and not multitasking, helps our attention to dwell on a single task at a time. By this, we are training our mind to stay on a single thing without faltering and staying in the zone.
Hope it helps!
Author: Annapoorna Nair | Publisher: Kosha Life
