How to be more present
Why live in your head when you can be present?
So what?
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.
Breathing
First of the two most fundamental technique of being present is focusing on your breathes. Such focus grounds you so you recenter yourself and your mind. It brings your mind back to your surrounding in the present moment. You’re able to be attentive to what is happening around you and see things you don’t typically see when your mind is too busy to notice.
Meditating
The other most fundamental technique is to meditate. In addition to breathing exercises, meditation activities such as yoga, pilates and sitting trains your mind to focus your energy and redirect your attention. Meditating is habit forming – it leads to positive habits like self-discipline, good sleep patterns, better pain tolerance and being positive to life. Meditation practices are something that you can do anywhere and everywhere. No matter how much time you have, you can benefit from meditation even with a few minutes a day.
My experience
I focus on my breathing whenever I remember to. One main area of my life that I do this with is when I’m doing daily, mundane tasks like washing dishes and cleaning. I learned this from reading many of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books where he frequently used washing dishes and walking as examples where we can practice mindfulness. Watching the scrap food come off dirty plates, soap suds forming on top of the sponge and water running through my fingers are a few of many things that I notice when I wash dishes. Being present allows me to enjoy the journey rather than being overly focused on the destination (of clean dishes).
What now?
- Do you breathe? Of course you do.
- Next time you breathe, pay attention to your inhales and exhales.
- Congratulations! You’ve just practiced mindfulness. How easy was that?!