Wow I do not know how much to say in this post. This has been such a huge lesson for me in the last year. I never realized how important it is to live in the present. I had learned a long time ago that asking “what if” questions was not good and did not benefit anything at all. What I did not realize is how to enjoy each moment, being present with whatever I was doing. And how much this can benefit your life, your health, weight, mental, emotional and lessen anxiety and stress.
What It Means to Live in the Present
It is like being mindful in everything you are doing. If you are vacuuming the house, focus and be present with vacuuming. The sounds, the patterns the vacuum makes and enjoy doing it. If you are eating a meal, sit down and focus on what you are eating. The smells, the colors, chew with purpose. Turn off the TV, music and be present. Doing just this one thing will help your digestion. When you chew enough, you will feel full sooner, and it can help with your weight. Now, with moms I KNOW this is a luxury. I tend to feed everyone and then eat after everyone is gone so I can do this, or eat before I call them all in!
Living in the Future Brings Anxiety
I tend to think more towards the future. This is why I had to retrain my brain, my thoughts to only think about and live for today. If I think ahead to plan things, I make sure I do not stay and live there. I bring myself back to the present moment. If a person is always living and thinking in the future asking those “what if” questions it brings a lot of anxiety. You cannot know what the future brings, and most of the time we freak ourselves out for no reason. This in turn gets your adrenals always going, the unnecessary stress shuts down the digestive system. Over time, that kind of stress can take a toll on your whole body. Do not think about what the future holds and enjoy the present and what you have now.
Living in the Past Brings Depression
The past can also bring regret, guilt and revenge. I believe the emotion of guilt gets stored in the middle back, and it can show up as back pain you do not need. Revenge throws logic and morals out the window, and none of us need the repercussions of that. Forgive the past, including yourself and others. Learn the lessons the past brought you and move on. Let it go so you can grow. The only 
way to switch out of this is to practice acceptance. Accept what happened. Learn and change so it does not happen again, and give this courtesy to everyone else. Let them move on with their lives.
How to Live in the Present: Just Breathe
The best and easiest way I have found to be able to bring myself back to the present is to simply breathe
Breathe in your nose and out your mouth. Three deep breaths and make sure you fill all the way up, hold it for a second and then let it all the way out. I say the words in my mind or out loud “It’s ok, I am ok”. This reminds yourself, your mind and body that you are here, you are still alive and that there is no imminent danger. Your adrenals will normalize, your heart rate and blood pressure will calm. Close your eyes and listen to what is around you, smell and feel the atmosphere. Doing these things can take only seconds, and give you so much benefit.
It takes a while to retrain a thinking process, so good thing life is a journey. There is no time frame or pressure. We are here to enjoy being alive, find our joy and live it. If we leave this life with this not done, there will be many regrets. There are so many articles written about the regrets of people before they die, like the ones hospice nurse Bronnie Ware wrote about. In these interesting articles the interviewers have sat down with people about to pass away and they asked them what they wished they could have changed. The common thread between all of them is: play more, vacation and see the world, do what they loved and live a more present and full life. It is good to take their advice sooner than later I think!
Decide what you want, believe that you’ll get it. Live as if you already have it. -Vybe Source
Want more ways to stay present? Try my tea time meditation or learn how to meditate.
