Being present helps keep the stress levels down, helps concentration and can also decrease anxiety.
You may have heard this before and may have tried to “be present” and “be in the present moment” from time to time, but what does it really mean?
Well, apparently, it’s not really an easy thing to pin down. According toWikipedia: “The present (or now) is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is a period of time between the past and the future, and can vary in meaning from being an instant to a day or longer.”
Unfortunatley, that’s about as close as we’ll get to a solid definition. Through Wikipedia, I found that religions and philosophers hold varying beliefs and definitions about “the present.” To paraphrase, Buddhists call it “mindfulness” or being fully aware of what is happening, and not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Christians say God is outside of time so the past, present and future are all part of “eternity.” Philosophically there is no real logical explanation for two (or more) people experiencing something at the same “present.” Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity says that there is no such thing as absolute simultaneity. I’m not qutie sure what this means but Einstein paraphrases, “People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”
So which definition am I working with? Well, when it comes to staying calm in the midst of chaos – which, for some of us – can be the everyday norm – staying focused and keeping anxiety down, though, I’m referring to the initial Wikipedia definition. So, being present means keeping my attention on the events that I am experiencing directly and immediately. By this definition, it’s easy, then, to know when I’m not doing this. If I’m thinking about something other than what I’m experienceing then I know I’m either in the past, re-living something … again, or I’m in the future and I’m probably worrying about something and it’s probably something I don’t have any control over.
Usually, if you’re in the past or the future, you’re creating some kind of stress and anxiety. I say usually because there are times when this isn’t true. For example, you may have met someone special and had a fantastic date with them and you might be remembering how wonderful it was. There’s probably no stress or anxiety being created about this. That could change quickly, though if you started wondering what your next date might be like, whether or not the other person enjoyed the date as much as you did and if this might be “the one!” It’s easy to cross that line and it happens more often than not for many of us, unless we’ve practiced being in the moment.
When you practice keeping your awareness in the moment, it’s easy to have a memory come up and discern if it’s something that makes you feel good or bad. Once you’ve figured this out, you can choose to take whatever learning you can from the memory and bring your attention back to your present experience retaining the learning and incorporating it into your perspective. This take some practice, at least it has for me. I’ve been practicing for several years and there are still times when I can get caught up in a memory or some future event and continue to think about it. The difference for me now, after practicing, is that I can tell when I’m doing that because I’ll usually start feeling bad, stressed or anxious.
Give it a try. For the next week, try to keep your attention focused on what you’re experiencing at every moment. If you’re driving, be aware of the cars around you, the feel of the seat at your legs and back, the steering wheel in your hands, the sounds your car makes and what might be whizzing by on the sides of the street as you pass by. This might be a very different experience from your regular driving habits where you might find yourself thinking about whether or not you locked the front door when you left, what you’re going to do when you get to your destination, the bills you have to pay tomorrow and etc.
You might need to write yourself a note and put it on your dashboard or your bathroom mirror as a daily reminder. I use post-it notes to help me remember certain things so that might be something that helps you, too. At the end of the week, make sure to take a moment to think about what you discovered. Was it easy for you? Did your mind keep wandering? Do you feel more relaxed? Were you able to accomplish more? You might be surprised at your results.
