You don’t have to “bring“ yourself into the present moment, because you are already there. What is required is to become still. And you don’t have to sit down in some difficult yoga position to be still. You don’t have to repeatedly recite a chant to be still. All you need to do are three simple things:
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STOP: When you stop, you immediately become aware of where you are at the present moment. It gives you an opportunity to be fully present – exactly where you are. Simply begin to breathe deeply, allowing yourself to rest in the moment. If you do that, you will be present.
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LOOK: Many times we are looking for the answers to questions, but we fail to see the answers right in front of us. Until you learn to look at where you are, who you are with, and wonder for a moment, why you are there, you will overlook the answers you are looking for, even though it’s right in front of you. Simply pay attention to circumstances at the present moment. It doesn’t cost a anything to pay attention!
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LISTEN: We don’t listen and pay attention to the sounds around us. And even more importantly, when there is that small voice, our intuition, which often tries to direct us to what we want or to warn us of impending problems, we ignore it. The word “LISTEN” contains the same letters as the word “SILENT”.
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Often, we are so trapped in thoughts of the future or the past that we forget to experience, let alone enjoy, what’s happening right now.
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Why does living in the moment make people happier?
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Because most negative thoughts concern the past or the future. As Mark Twain said, “I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” The hallmark of depression and anxiety is ‘catastrophizing’ – worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet and might not happen at all. Worry, by its very nature, means thinking about the future – and if you are able to bring yourself into awareness of the present moment, worrying melts away.
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The flip side of worrying is ‘ruminating’, thinking bleakly about events in the past. And again, if you bring your focus into the now, rumination ceases. In the present, you can’t worry about things that aren’t there.
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Living a consistently mindful life takes effort. Mindfulness is not about trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else. It is simply a matter of realizing where you already are.
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You can become mindful at any moment just by paying attention to your immediate experience. You can do it right now. What’s happening this instant? Think of yourself as a witness, and just observe the moment. What do you see, feel, hear, smell? It doesn’t matter whether its pleasant or unpleasant, good or bad.
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Nothing happens next. It’s not a destination. This is it. You’re already there.
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