Focus and Live in the Moment

Many of us have negative emotions or attachment to things that have occurred in the past, allowing past events to affect us and take a toll on us in the present moment, which can also have a negative impact on future events yet to occur, and limit our thinking and choices. Also many spend a lot of time focusing on future events that haven’t happened yet, trying to discern possible outcomes, which often brings feelings of stress, worry and discontentment. Focusing on anything other than the present moment, is actually robbing you of happiness, contentment and peace, as well as other things that you could be enjoying, though your mind is focused elsewhere so is simply unable to take in all that the present moment has to offer you. Therefore, it’s imperative to detach our thinking from past or future events, and switch our focus to the present moment and enjoy living it the best we can. If you’re going through something negative, then as uncomfortable as it might be, focus on the moment and the lessons you can learn from the situation to prevent it reoccurring, and guide yourself out of it with a positive outlook, even if things look bleak, there will be something positive to focus on. Practising mindfulness and being mindful of your thoughts, feelings and environment can help you to enjoy all the things that the moment has to offer you. With enough practise you will be able to take note of things that would have otherwise been missed, and focus on living in the present moment.

When we are focused elsewhere other than the present moment, this actually drains us of energy and can have us feeling fatigued. There will also be a detachment from our mind, body and environment, not to mention the blessings that the universe has in store for us. This isn’t saying that you can’t think about the past or the future, merely that your main focus should be the present moment. The key is to have a balance, and the balance is unique to all of us, no two people are the same. So practising returning your thoughts to the present moment when it wanders too much is key to achieving equilibrium in your life, thus bringing with it less stress, worry and more enjoyment.

One of the best things you can practice to help you live in the present moment is meditation, which works best when practiced on a regular basis. This will not only reduce your stress levels it will also help limit distracting thoughts that prevent you living in the moment fully. Mindfulness meditation is also very helpful in supporting you to live in the moment. There are specific kinds of mindfulness that can help you focus on the present moment, these are basic mindfulness meditation - where you bring your focus on breathing, or a word or mantra and allowing your thoughts to come and go as they please without judging them; body sensations - which is being aware of the sensations in your body such as aches, pains, tingling or any other sensation that you may be experiencing, and taking note of them without judgement; sensory – which is being aware of what you’re seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting and not making judgments, taking note of the sensations and letting them go; emotions – this is where you allow your emotions to be felt in the present moment without judgement, taking note of them and allowing them to come and go with ease; and finally urge surfing – which is overcoming cravings by accepting and not judging them, taking note of how they make you feel, knowing that they will pass.

Hope this article has helped to highlight some of the benefits and ways that you can focus and live in the present moment, it does take practice, though with perseverance you should be able to live with more of your thoughts focused on the present moment then in the past or future, which should help bring a renewed sense of peace to your life. If you would like to relax and take some ‘me time’ to relax and reduce your stress, then you can listen to a guided meditation by Healution below, which you can also download in high quality via Healution.com/shop.

Take care, and enjoy the journey.

Healution