Does this sound familiar?
You are washing your dishes, and you are thinking about the hamburger you are going to eat after.
Then you go eat the hamburger, but you are not really there either, you are now thinking about what you will make for dinner.
And you spend your whole day, either regretting the past or worrying about the future.
If you don’t take back control, your whole life will pass by without you ever fully experiencing the only real thing to experience: the present moment.
What does being present actually mean?
You know the feeling…
Being present is when you are right there in the moment, in this second, I meant this second, I meant this second… you get the idea.
You are in the here and now.
You are aware of each moment that comes and passes by.
Your mind isn’t wondering, regretting the past, or worrying about the future.
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
This experience comes in different ways:
Maybe you are so concentrated on the task or work that you are doing, that time seems to pass by, and your internal dialogue is off — you are in the state of flow.
Maybe you are practicing meditation and mindfulness, feeling your breath, and developing the observer of your consciousness , an internal sense of awareness of your mind and body.
Or maybe it’s just a good conversation, a sport you are playing, etc.
In this fast-paced world, we live in, it’s rare the moments that we are fully there in the moment.
Our minds live in constant worry about the stuff we have to do and regret what we have done or said.
What that said:
There are many ways, that we will talk about, in which you can start to build a more mindful and present mind, so you can start to enjoy and be grateful in life, and be more responsive instead of reactive when stressful situations set foot into your life, because they will.
How do the Buddhists live longer than us?
Buddhist practitioners and monks, spend their lifetime devoted to meditating and studying Buddha’s teachings (Dharma), helping their community, developing compassion, and achieving spiritual enlightenment (Nirvana).
If we really think about it, it’s not that crazy to say that Buddhists live 5x or 10x longer than us.
Think about it:
If we define being alive as being present, so: catching as many of the non-stopping passing moments as possible .
They most certainly spend a LOT more time living in the present moment than most of us do.
And if the present moment is all there is , the past is always present, and the future will always be present.
Then we can confidently say that they live much much longer than we do.
”All you have is this moment. Don't let it slip away.”
What does this mean for you?
It means that even the smallest efforts to incorporate more mindfulness and be more grounded in the present moment in our daily lives will make a significant impact on our life satisfaction.
Here we go:
3 Ways To Live More Present And Mindful In Life
1. Practice Meditation
Meditation is a practice that can be used and benefit anyone of any background.
It doesn’t matter your age, sex, religion, country, etc.
It’s not anything “ complicated” as most of us think at first.
It consists of sitting down, being aware of the body and the in and out movement of breathing, and whenever the mind wonders, gently bringing the attention back again. That’s mostly it.
There is plenty of science backing up the benefits of meditation, and to least a few:
Reduced stress
Reduced anxiety
Better sleep
Increased focus and attention
etc.
I personally use and recommend the Headspace app, and I try to do a 10-minute meditation every day.
You can also use any other app, guided meditation, music, or even pure silence.
Whatever feels more comfortable for you.
The important thing is that you stick to it long enough that you can start to experience the benefits.
2. Build More Moments of Awareness
We spend most of our days in automatic mode.
It’s rare that we stop and feel what we are feeling, see what we are seeing, and hear what we are hearing.
We need to build more of those.
Toward the day, every time you remember it, do a body scan.
See what sensations and emotions you feel in your body.
Maybe it’s not comfortable what you feel… and that’s ok.
Don’t judge it, just become aware of it.
Most of us are constantly trying to escape these sensations and emotions that are not comfortable with mindless entertainment consumption.
Remember:
You can only truly let it go and become free if you are willing to experience and accept things as they are.
"The more you resist, the more you suffer. The more you accept, the more you grow."
3. Practice Gratitude
We very often overlook all the good things that we have and are constantly happening, and only pay attention to the negative things (Negativity Bias)
We will overlook the 95% of things that are good in your life, and focus on the 5% that is negative.
We will pay attention to the coffee being a little too cold , and forget how nice it is that we can say to someone to bring food to us and someone comes and brings it. Isn’t that something out of the ordinary to be grateful for?
Practicing gratitude is the act of shifting our mind’s focus to the good things in our lives.
It’s building the muscle to see life as it is.
To be able to see the other 95%, and don’t just pay attention to the 5%.
Because at its core… life it’s mostly ok.
Write every day in a journal 3 or 5 things that you are grateful for at that moment.
Maybe it’s your family, your health, your friends, the food you are eating, etc, it doesn’t really matter.
This is extremely easy to do, but also extremely easy not to do.
Remember the impact that building the muscle of seeing the good in life can have in your life in the long term.
Bringing it home
A quick review:
Being present is extremely important, it’s when you are here and now, not regretting the past or worrying about the future , that you are aware of each moment that comes and passes by. You are alive.
Buddhist monks live 5x longer than us, they live in the present moment much more than we do, and the present is the only time there is. The past has always occurred in the present and the future will always occur in the present.
Practice Meditation, and build the muscle of gently getting your attention back in the moment every time your mind wanders — improve your focus and attention and reduce your anxiety and stress.
Build more moments of awareness, and feel the sensations and emotions in your body every time you can. So you stop escaping them and instead become aware of them.
Practice Gratitude, and build the muscle of seeing the other 95% of life that is positive, so you can bring your attention to the good things in your life and be grateful for them.
I hope you got something valuable in this edition of Curiosity Fuel, and thank you for reading, it means the world.
It’s always an honor to be in your inbox, until next Sunday. 👋
— Idris Moura
