Stop thinking about yesterday or what might happen tomorrow and start living today!

Do you, on the one hand, spend a lot of time remembering and regretting the past, then simultaneously, worrying and planning your future, on the other? You’re not alone. Most of us don’t spend a lot of our time, living in the present, which means we aren’t getting the most of our daily experiences. We tend to miss all the little things that should bring us joy and allow us to live in the moment every day.

Act from your heart

What is good for others isn’t necessarily good for you. If you are facing a dilemma right now focus on your heart, are you feeling discomfort or relaxation? Trying to please everybody else, and do all the things all of the time, very often means you are neglecting your own wants and needs.

What you’re feeling in your heart is usually a good guide when it comes to making the right decision. By implementing this one small action you will be surprised how much of your life will change!

Be alert!

Set an alert on your phone as a reminder to check in with yourself regularly. If you are lost in thought or running on autopilot, the signal will remind you to take a short pause and focus your attention on how you feel and your current state of mind. Take this time to reconnect with your environment and live in the moment!

Let go of the past

Do you live in the past? You can’t change anything that happened in the past you can only learn from it. Criticising and beating yourself up for things that can’t be undone can lead to anxiety and depression. By realising and accepting what’s done is done and it’s over will allow you to move forward with your life.

Rember you are only human, and it’s ok to make mistakes, strive for progress, not perfection. Once you notice yourself dwelling on past events, shift your attention back to the moment. Concentrate on of all your current wins and everything you are grateful for right now.

Collect moments; not things | Life is short!

 

 

Ground yourself

Connecting with your body and knowing what you feel and how it affects your actions is what is known as mindfulness.  Practising mindfulness will help you feel more grounded and aware of your surroundings.

Take your shoes off, and notice the soles of your feet. How does it feel to be firmly planted on the floor? What can you see, smell or touch right now? Concentrate on your five senses and how your surroundings impact your feelings.

Take time just to be, and breathe freely for a moment.

Walk your walk

Going for a walk can do wonders for your mental health, not to mention your fitness level! As you walk, take time to notice your body moving so your mind is not so busy thinking of other things. Do this when you can for any activity such as eating, talking or listening.

 

Go with the flow

You never know what’s around the corner! However, most of us spend a lot of time thinking about what might be. Go with the flow of your life and be at peace with the fact that you can’t control everything all of the time.

It could be you are over controlling your life which is causing you to feel stressed, you should trust that you can handle whatever comes your way to avoid feeling any fear of the unknown.

 

Less is more

Be aware of your tendency to fill up every moment of your day. Do you really need to recheck your emails?! By leaving some ‘white-space’ in your day, you are giving your mind some downtime. Whenever you find yourself with some spare time try to avoid filling it with more useless busyness. Get comfortable with just being, and take some time to get to know yourself in these moments.

Living in the moment means being conscious, aware and in the present with all of your senses.

It’s not dwelling on the past or being anxious and worrying about the future. Living in the present will allow you time to focus on the task in hand.Become more aware of what’s happing right now, no matter where you are or what you’re doing by practicing minfulness every day.

I love The Headspace guide to minfulness and meditaion, the founder Andy Puddicombe talks about his very relatable life experiences. Andy explains how he managed to incorperte ten minutes of meditaiton and mindfulness into his dayil life and the benefits of doing so.

You can listen to The Headspace Guide to Mindfulness & Meditation for free by signing up to Audible here for a 30 day free trial!

Mindfulness in’t difficult you just have to remeber to do it!