When you live remembering your past or dreaming of a possible future, you are missing the magic of the present . That was a truth that I dis...
Literally, I missed special dates and events by living two times: missing and longing. At that moment I decided not to let myself be carried away by the desire to flee and not face my present. In addition to the above, I discovered thanks to a spiritual master the following two truths that I will reveal below:
«Living in the past makes you sick with depression,
yearning for a non-existent future makes you sick with anxiety.
With these two certainties quite clear, I insisted on living every day in the "here and now"; It was something complex for me, but not impossible, although I must admit that I am still in the fight.
What I did to stop living in automatic mode
The first thing I chose to do was be grateful. Every morning when I woke up I gave thanks for one more day of life and the opportunity to do new things. To sum up, I was giving thanks in voice or in mind for the food, for the water that refreshed me, even for the pains that occasionally overwhelmed me, as these were no more than evidence that I was alive.
I know that the aforementioned may seem silly; however, it had an important impact on me because it helped me to be an optimistic person, someone I had never been.
Another exercise that I do from time to time is that when I go to bed, I try to remember everything I did during the day. This not only improves my ability to remember but also teaches me lessons about how to proceed.
I also opted to eventually practice relaxation, this for the simple reason of wanting to feel more attached to myself and relaxed at the end of the day.
Something that I also started to do was enjoy the little things in life. I decided to enjoy the things I eat, the morning sun, or the rains that occasionally cool the afternoon, the walks, and even my moments of rage. All, in conclusion, make me who I am and mainly know that I am alive.
Exercises that you can apply to your life to live in the moment
Apart from the small and simple things that I did, which had and have a great positive effect on me, there are 5 basic exercises that you can implement to achieve the goal of living in the present.
1 Wake up with a daily goal
Basically, it's about making your day more worthwhile. Suppose you never go for a walk and come up with any excuse not to. Well, what is proposed is that you wake up one morning with the mentality that that day you are going to meet that goal. With the decision in mind, what you do immediately upon waking is to dress in sportswear and go for a walk.
The point is that you meet the realistic goal that you set for yourself and that you do it every day. What this does is give your brain direction and a motive.
2 Enjoy what you eat
Nothing is more delicious than enjoying the taste of an apple or freshly squeezed orange juice. However, the reality is that we get up, make breakfast, and practically shove it down our throats because either we don't like what we always eat or we don't have time.
Conscious eating involves enjoying the taste and texture of what you eat; For this, what is expected is that you eat the things you like and a little of what you do not like very much, but that still provides nutrients to your body.
Of course, remember to eat or drink only when you are hungry and until you feel satisfied. Don't eat out of anxiety or distress; this will only lead you to feel sick, indigestible, and unwell.
3 Make bedtime relaxing
Many times when we go to bed we are so loaded with everything we have experienced, that sleeping becomes difficult and tortuous. In order to get a good night's sleep you can apply the following exercise:
1 Relax the muscles of the face, including the tongue, jaw, and the muscles around the eyes. To do this, just tighten them up and then slowly release them.
2 Put your shoulders as low as possible on your bed, followed by the upper and lower arm on one side at a time.
3 Relax your breath. To do this, breathe slowly and for a long time. While doing this, tense the muscles of your entire body and then slowly release them, the same as you did with the muscles of your face.
4 Clear your mind. You can do it in the following way:
-Imagine lying in a canoe in the middle of a calm lake with a blue summer sky above you, or you can imagine lying in a velvet hammock in a large, quiet room. Then you say to yourself " don't think, don't think, don't think" over and over for about 10 seconds. "
4 Change your daily action frame
Many of the things we do every day are based on habits. Many of us get up, go straight to the bathroom, when we go out we go to the kitchen to make breakfast, eat, get dressed, and go to work. When we return, we take a shower, eat, watch television, and go to bed. Every day the same until Friday and on Saturdays and Sundays, they have the same routine.
What makes the monotony and habit is sleep to the brain. The invitation is to gradually change your habits and include a new one or take something that you usually do in an almost religious way. These new actions will lead you to be attentive to what you do, to find motivation, and to give variation to your existence.
The above exercises are simple and act as small acts of motivation that can help you improve your physical and mental health. I share them with you because they changed my life and I can say that today I am a person who lives happier and more productively.
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