Be Present While Living
In our western culture we have been conditioned to work hard, keep busy, get things done and keep moving. We keep our schedules in overdrive maxed out in activities often not shutting the noise down in our environment with something constantly stimulating us. We work from morning to night without a break crossing things off our list before we crawl into bed at night exhausted. Our mind is often in constantly looping with thoughts of what we need to do next, or preparing for the next day’s activities.
How many moments during our day are we really experiencing fully present? Take a moment to be fully present by inhaling a deep breath down to the solar plexus, inhaling through the nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth. Follow your breath, focusing on it in your mind’s eye. Slow yourself down. Bring yourself back to the present. When you do this, you are present in the moment as you are aware of your breathing and not thinking about other things. You are here, now. You aren’t distracted by your thoughts.
Disciplining yourself to be fully present in your moment is taking on the commitment to be awake while you live. Often we get through our day and can’t even remember details that we lived through because we are so focused on what we have to do, getting to where we have to go, putting ourselves elsewhere. And in the course of this endeavor we missed our day. So today, focus on breathing, slowing your mind down, and being aware of what is happening right now in this moment. It is all we have, this moment. Live your day awake.
Tags: being present, doing versus being, MindfulnessABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janie Pfeifer Watson
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner- Janie Pfeifer Watson, LICSW, is the founder and director of Wholeness Healing Center, a mental health practice in Grand Island, Nebraska with remote sites in Broken Bow and Kearney. Her expertise encompasses a broad range of areas, including depression, anxiety, attachment and bonding, coaching, couples work, mindfulness, trauma, and grief. She views therapy as an opportunity to learn more about yourself as you step more into being your authentic self. From her perspective this is part of the spiritual journey; on this journey, she serves as a mirror for her clients as they get to know themselves—and, ultimately, to love themselves.
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