How to Be More Present in Daily Life & Why It’s Important
The moment in front of you is all that exists and all that ever will exist. While reading those words is simple, it’s another thing entirely to live it. So often, we spend our days dwelling on the past or stressing out thinking about the future. We think of how things like having to schedule our appointment with The Bunion Cure or we worry about the future of our relationship.
This removes us from what’s real, what’s happening at this moment. We’re here to help by offering some advice on how to be more present in daily life and why it’s important.
How to Be More Present
Start Your Day with Meditation
Meditation is a practice that’s designed to bring your awareness to the moment in front of you. Meditation takes many forms, it could be focusing on your breath, focusing on a thought, focusing on an emotion, or focusing on what your sense perceptions are picking up. Starting your day with at least 10 minutes of meditation will help prime you to be more aware and present for the day ahead.
Practice Focused Breathing
Focused breathing is a meditation or mindfulness technique, but it doesn’t need to be as formal as some meditation practices. Practicing focused breathing at periodic times throughout the day can help you to remain more present even when you aren’t practicing. Try and fit in at least a few focused breathing breaks each day where you spend at least 1 minute putting your attention on the inhale and exhale of your breath.
Incorporate Mindfulness Practices Often
You don’t need to wait for your morning meditation or a focused breathing break to practice mindfulness. If you’re wanting to become more present in daily life, incorporate mindfulness practices as often as you can. Engage in mindful eating, mindfully wash the dishes, or practice mindfulness as you shower – paying attention to how your body feels with the water hitting your skin and the change in temperature.
The Power of Presence
Research continues to show that mindfulness has a profound healing impact on mental and physical well-being. Mindfulness helps to increase your level of self-awareness, helps with emotional regulation, increases feelings of positivity and peace, encourages creativity, and decreases negative symptoms of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
The power that coincides with being aware of the present moment is infinite. Our reality is really just how we perceive the world. If we’re trapped in a loop of thinking about the past or the future, we never get to experience how beautiful life really is. Mindfulness, if practiced regularly, can completely shift your life for the better. It all starts with you.