Although I am a personal development blogger by profession, I am in no way a mental health professional. See my disclaimer for more info.
Having trouble being present and enjoying what’s in front of you? I’ll teach you all about how to live in the moment!
Do you know what it means to live in the moment? Do you have a hard time doing so?
For me, it’s actually quite often that I am thinking too much about the past or future when I should be focusing on the present moment. I think this stems from some type of anxiety, along with the fact that I don’t really do much besides work, do schoolwork, and watch TikToks. I’m still learning to enjoy and appreciate what’s happening in the moment because, well, I’ll never get that time back!
If you find yourself in a similar boat, don’t worry. I’m going to teach you everything I know about living in the moment and making the best of every second of your life.
Are you ready? Let’s get into it!
THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT how to live in the moment.
What is living in the moment, and why is it important?
Before we can go any further, I need to lay some groundwork. You’re probably wondering, “What the heck does it mean to live in the moment?”
Living in the moment means you are enjoying what is happening in the present moment and not thinking about the past or future. It’s all about focusing on what’s happening right in front of you. Embracing the present can also mean saying “yes” more often.
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s so important to live in the moment and cherish every second because you can’t get that time back.
Signs You’re Not Being Present:
You may not know that you’re living in the future rather than the present. Here are some examples of living in the future:
- You’re constantly worried about the future
- You’re always planning something (big or small) but never take action
- You’re always making and saving money, but never take time to treat yourself with something nice
- You constantly find yourself trying to switch between different tasks (AKA multitasking)
- You don’t take time to practice gratitude
- You spend time trying to re-develop your past personality
- You’re having a hard time getting a major past event out of your head
- You’re always working and don’t enjoy the fruits of your labor
How to Live in the Moment:
1. Address your worries
Sometimes, I find it hard to be present because I’m worried about something — whether it’s an assignment, a work-related deadline, a health problem, or something else. I think it’s valid that I feel this way sometimes, but it sure gets exhausting.
Over time, I’ve learned that, in order to be present, I have to acknowledge and address whatever it is that’s bothering me. I truly can’t enjoy the now if I’m worried about the past or future.
2. Stop trying to chase your thoughts
I admit, this might sound a little niche. But stay with me, okay?!
Sometimes I’ll think about something and suddenly forget it. Then, I’ll spend way too much time trying to think about that thing that I forgot.
For example (because I know this is a rather vague explanation), a really good blog post idea will pop up in my head. But somehow I end up shifting my focus to something else and the idea will slip my mind.
So then I’ll sit for a good minute and try to remember what the idea was, but I almost never retrace my thoughts successfully.
That being said, it isn’t worth it to try and chase my thoughts. Doing so prevents me from letting go and living in the moment. So now, if a thought escapes my mind, I’m okay with it.
3. Redirect your attention
This tip is more of a continuation of the previous one. Once you find yourself shifting your thinking to somewhere elsee, immediately redirect your focus back to what you should be focusing on.
4. Be in control of your phone
I could go on and on about how impactful our phones are to our daily lives. But I’ll save you the extra reading (haha!).
Just think about this for a second: if you’re on your phone, how are you supposed to appreciate what’s happening in front of you? Especially at a dinner, concert, or event.
Put the dang phone down and live in the moment!
You have to remember that you control your phone, not the other way around. And if it’s currently the other way around, you have the power to change that.
THINK: How much time do you spend on your phone each day? Tell me in the comments!
5. Stop trying to multiask
First of all, multitasking isn’t possible. I don’t know how or why we’ve convinced ourselves that we can. It simply doesn’t work!
If you want to start living in the moment, you have to focus on one thing at a time. Otherwise, your brain will be all over the place and it’ll be hard to concentrate on the present.
6. Heal from past trauma
There’s a chance that your past traumas and negative experineces are influencing how you live your life today. It can be hard to live in the moment when you’ve got these traumas that you haven’t healed yet.
If you want to be more present, you have to do the inner work to heal yourself.
FREE SELF CARE ACTIVITIES LIST
Would you like a free self care activities list?
I know it can be difficult to think of different self care ideas, so I did the work for you! I created a FREE list of 81 self care activities that you can enjoy.
To get the list, simply click here.
7. Journal
Journaling helps you live in the moment because you’re sitting there and focusing on writing about your feelings, thoughts, and emotions. It’s a great way to practice being more present!
You can either respond to a journal prompt or do some free writing.
RELATED POST: Ultimate Guide: How to Start Journaling for Personal Growth
8. Practice calming techniques
This is similar to the first tip.
Maybe you’re not being present because you’re feeling anxious and need a way to calm down. There are many calming techniques to help with this, like meditating, doing yoga, and going for a scroll in the park.
9. Practice awareness
The true meaning of living in the moment is being aware of your surroundings and focusing on the moment. If you want to be present, make yourself aware of everything that’s happening around you.
This includes what you can see, hear, feel, and more.
10. Celebrate your success now
I know I struggle with this quite a bit, especially with my blog. I’ve been seeing more and more success with my blog lately, but I can’t seem to be satisfied with it. I’m always longing for more, but the problem is if I don’t appreciate what’s happening now, I never will.
So, I’m working to celebrate my success now.
Let’s recap!
We made it to the end of the post!
Today, we talked about how to live in the moment.
I hope you learned a thing or two from this post and start living in the moment more often.
Please remember to take time to take care of yourself!
I know, in this economy, it can be hard to find free things to do that are fun. That’s why I put together a list of 7 free self care activities to enjoy today!
In the midst of chaos, don’t forget to smile,
DeMarcus – your self care buddy
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