You Can Use These 5 Helpful Tips To Bring You Back to the Present
Happiness exists in the now
Being told to live in the present has little benefit to you if you do not know how to live in the present in the first place.
When things are going off the chain, and you are stressing about what might happen, or living in regret over what did happen, it is hard to come back to this moment.
Wisdom is great, but actionable advice is better.
Use these 5 tips to help bring you back to the present when all hell breaks loose.
1. A quick gratitude practice
Gratitude is not solely for increasing happiness. It also serves as a reminder of what is real right now.
Acknowledging the fact that you have all 5 of your senses and being grateful for it shows you what actually matters.
Reminding yourself that both your parents are alive and healthy and sitting right in front of you makes pretty much everything else seem insignificant.
To practice gratitude instantly, just look around the room and notice things you like.
Are you grateful for someone in the room?
For the roof over your head?
For the sunny day you are experiencing?
Take note. Appreciate.
2. Focus on your breath
Your breath is one of those things you can rely on always being here because when it stops, you are no longer here.
You can always come to your breath to show you that you are here right now.
Feel where the air goes as you breathe in.
Follow it going up your nose and into your lungs. It is cool, it is refreshing, and it is nourishing.
Exhale and thank yourself for being yourself.
As you exhale, feel the warmth, the life.
3. Notice your senses
If you are lucky enough to have all 5 of your senses, then you need to do whatever you can to appreciate them.
Even if you only have 4, you can be thankful for those 4.
These senses bring you back to the present, and you only need one of them to do so.
Use those eyes of yours and focus on one thing you can see.
Is there a cute dog walking by? Are the trees blowing in the wind?
Go through each of your senses, noticing what is currently happening.
Be here now.
4. Go for a walk
Walks are healing in so many ways. Matthieu Ricard, the happiest man alive, says that walking in nature helps with overstimulation. It helps reduce stress.
While you are on a walk, you are forced to think about your movement and the things around you.
The sun is shining on your skin, the wind kisses you, and the animals are talking to you.
Don’t try to distract yourself with your phone.
Just keep walking and keep noticing the pleasantries around you.
5. Activities that force you to be present
There are certain activities that can be meditative. When doing them, you forget all else, and you become present.
Some of these activities include:
Dancing
Gardening
Working out
I wrote about this in a previous blog, and I explained that although you may not be able to meditate, you can certainly enter a meditative state.
Chances are, you already know what activity does this for you.
If you have not yet discovered one, try a few until one sticks with you. This will benefit you for years to come.
This is a skill
It goes without saying that you will not be able to do any of these perfectly the first time. Like anything else, this requires practice.
Bringing yourself to the present is, without a doubt, a skill. The good news is, this is a skill that anyone can develop.
Like any skill, the more you work at it, the better you will get at it.
Give these a shot, and don’t give up after one try.
Thanks for reading