Have you seen the someecard that goes, “Men, if you ever wanna know what a woman’s mind is like, imagine a browser with 3,241 tabs open. All. The. Time.”? I don’t know about you ladies, but couldn’t me more true for me. Being present is honestly one of the hardest things I’m trying to work on these days!
Some of the most common things that prevent people from having a peaceful day are work, internet, social media, digital distractions, children, chores, lack of control, and our own crazy minds.
I know one of the biggest issues I personally have with being fully present is comparing myself to others, both in my personal and work life. I’m constantly comparing myself to other bloggers (their pictures are prettier! their websites are prettier! they have more followers! don’t we all do this??) which I know needs to stop. InspiredRD wrote a great post about this yesterday about being careful not to measure our self worth by numbers on a screen.
[Tweet “”Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. -Buddha “”]
In my personal life, I feel like I am constantly surrounded by people getting engaged, married, buying houses, and having babies. It’s hard being in your mid-20’s (eek I’ll be 25 in July!) and having that constant reminder of what people are doing around you. Nick and I know that we want to get married and have a family someday, but we need to do it in our own time and not let the pressure of what everyone else is doing affect us.
I can honestly say that I’ve been sucked into the “Pinterest Black Hole of Self-Destruction” (you know what I’m talking about…). Looking at hundreds of pictures of engagement rings, flowers, wedding dresses, cute photos of babies etc, it’s hard not to want all of those things. Staying in the present and appreciating what is going on in our lives at this moment helps. Like coming home to this little noodle every day.
No matter how out of control your day is, or how stressful your job or life becomes, the practice of being present can be your comfort. It can change your life, and it’s incredibly simple.
How Being Present Solves Problems
When you look at all of the “problems” that we seem to have, most of them are entirely in the mind. Sure, there are external forces at work like a stressful job, chores, kids, interruptions etc. But how we handle those external forces in our minds is the problem. If we are completely present, there is only us and the one problem, and not a million other things you need to worry about at once.
If your job demands an urgent task, you can stress out because you have a million other things to do and not enough time. Or, you can be fully present, focus completely on that one task, and now there is only that one task and you. When you’re done with that task, you can move on.
Being present becomes a way to handle any problem or distraction. It allows everything else to fade away, leaving only you and whatever you’re dealing with right now.
[Tweet “Being present becomes a way to handle any problem or distraction.”]
How to Practice Being Present
Learn to focus completely on one thing. Pay attention. What you’re doing, what you’re feeling, what you’re thinking. You’ll notice thoughts start to jump around to different things. That’s okay, you are not trying to force your mind to think certain thoughts. Just by becoming aware that you’re unfocused is the tool for bringing yourself back to the present task. Lovingly come back to the present. Be joyful in what you’re doing, grateful that you’re able to do it, and fully appreciate every moment of the task. Anything can be an amazing experience.
Meditation is a great way to practice mindfulness, because it allows you to be aware of your mind, and to help you practice bringing you back to the present moment.
What distracts you, and how do you come back to the present?
It’s like you’ve read my mind! I am working on being present on a daily basis, thanks to my morning meditation. This is one of the things that helps tremendously. I feel you on this completely. Such a great post!
Thanks, Alanna! It is something I am trying to work on daily as well. It’s so easy to get caught up in life and expectations. We have to appreciate what is going on in this moment!
Great post! And it is so true that women have a gazillion tabs open all the time. Although it seems that men don’t struggle with that issue as much. They seem to be much better at being present. This concept is a work and progress for me because it is so hard to shut down my mind. But I’m working on it!
Our minds can be pretty chaotic places! Thanks for reading :)
Yes yes! If we can learn to just breath and be more mindful about the things we are doing, we will have a much easier time enjoying life and finding some peace!
Yep totally agree!
Oh hun,, don’t let the Pinterest black hole of self-destruction suck you in! Life unfolds so differently for each of us, and it is such a wonderful thing. It would be a shame if all of us missed all the great people and opportunities in our lives because we’re too busy hoping for something else. Loved reading this post and I hope you continue to stay present!! Happy Wednesday :)
I completely agree :) By focusing too much on what I want to happen in the future, I’m forgetting about what’s going on right now! Thanks for those kind words :)
I too have been a culprit of wishing for the future instead of loving each day for what it is. This post was a great read- thanks!
loved this post! <3
Thanks for visiting, Kelsey! :)
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My goal for this year has been this, and it’s SO hard not to get stressed out about the what-ifs! I’m heading back to work today after a week off due to an injury and know there are a million things I need to do. I’m going to keep the one-thing-at-a-time in mind today :) Thank you for this post!