Itโs so easy in our busy world to constantly be thinking about something other than what youโre doing.
To distract yourself with social media or news stories.
To text a friend instead of talking with the person in front of you.
To worry about tomorrow, or that time last week when you did or didnโt do that thingโฆ
Itโs all part of the emotional disjointedness of modern living. But when youโre not mentally present in each moment of your life, when your bodies are here but your thoughts are anywhere else, then youโre missing your true potential.
โก๏ธ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ, ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ด๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ.
โก๏ธ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ท๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐.
โก๏ธ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
If you realize that you only get today โ that yesterdayโs gone and tomorrow isnโt promised โ then you can try to focus even more narrowly on each present moment. Here are some ways to do it.
โ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐๐: Nothing brings you back to the here and now like closing your eyes and taking three deep breaths. You donโt have to stop at three.
โ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. You can meditate, use an app to help you focus, or practice yoga.
โ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐. Nothing takes you OUT of the here and now as quickly. Plan times each day to catch up and scroll. Set notifications for anything thatโs important. Otherwise, forget it.
โ ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐. The advent of 24/7 news makes you anxious that youโre missing out on something important. Or that everythingโs going to come falling on your head. Like social media, the news business benefits from your continued watching. You do not.
โ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. And purposefully move on those days when youโre not actually exercising. A 15-minute walk on your break can clear your mind and bring you back to the present.
โ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐. Write in your journal each day a few things for which you are thankful. Express gratitude every day in some way large or small. Smile at someone; everybody needs that.
โ ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. That might mean pausing between tasks, turning off your phone at night, or declining to take on more than makes you comfortable.
โ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. Some people insist itโs the way to go, but it can also keep you from doing your best on the task at hand.
โ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐. What do you see? What do you smell? Do you taste anything? Is your mouth moist? Are your feet touching the ground?
Some people say they get frustrated with these kinds of focus techniques because itโs hard to STAY focused. And theyโre right. In fact, itโs IMPOSSIBLE to stay focused. Our minds are always wandering โ and thatโs OK. Donโt fight it or get distressed.
Just do what you can to bring yourself back to right here, right now. Over and over. Itโs an endless task, and thereโs something profound and reassuring in that, since the next moment inevitably replaces this one. This is an exercise to stay present in your life. And like all practices, it takes time, but it also gets easier to do as you go along.
Just breathe. Take it easy. And pay attention. Youโll get the hang of it in no time.
MOVE BETTER, REDUCE PAIN, AND LIVE LIFE ON YOUR TERMS
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