How to be more present
Why live in your head when you can be present?
So what?
ICYMI – Do you frequently find your mind wandering? Being present is becoming more difficult in our busy world. Our schedule is getting fuller and endless amount of notifications are always waiting for us on our phones. It’s even more important now that we make a conscious effort to be present and practice mindfulness. Benefits of being present include:
- Focusing your energy on the task you’re performing;
- Enjoying the activity being undertaken;
- Having a greater sense of purpose;
- Connecting close with your loved ones; and
- Finding joy in your mundane life.
Sensory details
Art of being alive and present is being right here in our own body. It’s a great set of tools that we have to easily rely on to ground ourselves and bring us back down to presence so we can be right in the moment. We can do this by using our five senses that the body provides us with. In case you need a refresher, below are the five senses:
- Vision: Translation of light into image signals that the brain processes
- Hearing: Transformation of sound waves into sound signals through bones and fluids in our ears
- Touch: Receptors on the skin detect touch, pressure and vibration and sends touch signals to our brain
- Smell: Chemicals in the air intercepted in the nasal cavity
- Taste: Stimulation of the taste buds by chemicals in our mouths
One or more of these five senses can be used to be present in the moment. Feel the warm water streaming down your hands as you wash the dishes. Smell the morning rain when you walk out of the house. Tune into the ticking of the clock. Taste the bite of your dinner. Feel the roughness of the cotton fibres of the towel after your shower.
Reflect
Even when we focus on one thing at a time as opposed to multitasking as we discussed in our last post, it’s very easy to quickly and mindlessly jump from one task to another. These transitions can be used as a moment to reflect on the task that you have completed and put yourself and your mind in an ideal position to tackle the next one. Reflect on what went well, what you enjoyed and what you would do differently the next time you tackle the same or similar tasks. Additionally, they can be used to cheat and go back in time to reflect on what you just did to remember and bring back the sensory details that you felt while you were performing the task at hand. Right after you complete a task and before you start a new one, slow down, take a breath and reflect.
My experience
I mentioned this before but one of the mundane tasks that I’ve come to enjoy is washing dishes. Each dish or utensil I scrub, I feel the water squeezing out of the sponge and notice the decrease in the soap suds from the previous item I washed. I pay attention to the pain I feel from the hot water that runs between my fingers as I rinse the soap laden dishes.
I can go on and bore you even more but I’m sure you get the point. I certainly don’t do this with everything I do but I make an effort to with mundane tasks that I do multiple times a day. It forces me to be present and practice mindfulness as well as helps me enjoy the boring things that are inevitable in life.
What now?
- Which of the five senses do you enjoy the most? What does it do for you when you feel your favourite sense?
- Do you find yourself mindlessly complete one task and moving onto the next item on your todo list? Try taking a moment to pause and reflect.