The practice of a conscious and fulfilling life begins by living in the present moment. Therapies such as Gest alt, the practice of meditation or the increasingly named and well-known mindfulness attach essential importance to this fact.
The reason is that, while they are carried out, priority is given to everything that happens at that moment, leaving out of our mind the worries that prevent us from being focused on what concerns us, and thus be able to make decisions with greater clarity or simply connect with the most authentic sensations of what we are experiencing.
Although we are not aware, the reality is that behind many moments of lack of concentration, worry and even discomfort, our attention is focused on matters that belong to the past or the future. Hence our main interest is to move our focus of attention to the present moment, because only then can we begin to live in the present.
What does it mean to live in the present?
Although it seems very obvious, it is one thing to say it and another is to be able to carry it out. But do we really know what it means to live in the present? How could we put it into practice?
Below we will clarify some possible doubts that may arise and we will give some guidelines to put it into practice in an effective way.
Simply put, we could say that it is about perceiving everything that happens here and now in an exclusive way, experiencing it as something unique that only takes place at this moment, without connecting it to another moment or experience of the past, nor link it to a possible situation of the future.
Thus, appreciating the experience as something new that takes place in our existence, we will be able to pay attention to all the nuances it presents , without erroneously conditioning it to other sensations that could be related to previous situations.
Guidelines for living in the present
Would you like to discover the keys to putting this enriching philosophy of life into practice? Here we discuss some of them.
one. Resort to relaxation
If we perceive that we are in a state of nervousness that can make it difficult for us to concentrate, we can practice some exercises to calm down Slow down our breathing, making it more diaphragmatic and slow at the same time that we notice that our muscles become less tense, will be the access key to that ideal state.
Interestingly, if we manage to access this level of physical relaxation, we will also be able to extend this sensation to our mind, and thus achieve an optimal point to connect with the present.
2. Manage your time rationally
When an assessment is made of the objectives and goals that are pursued, stress can arise from too many tasks to attend to until our expectations are met, which prevents us from living in the present.
It is essential in this case to stop for a moment to effectively plan our tasks. And the best thing is to be able to do it by evaluating each action objectively and prioritizing in the most rational way possible.
3. Avoid ruminations
Sometimes, when something worries us too much, we spend our time holding recurring ideas and thereby creating a vicious circle that only serves to increase our discomfort and distract us from our goal.They are called ruminations, and being able to detect them will be essential to be able to deal with them effectively.
A good way to disconnect from them is to break the vicious circle by taking a short break, if possible in a positive and natural environment .
4. Regulate your self-esteem
Have you ever wondered if at some point your own self-image enslaves you? It may be a good reflection to discover if our self-imposed demands are the ones that constantly boycott our well-being.
If in our day-to-day there are situations that we develop and a state of discomfort appears in our level of demand, it may be because we are continually aspiring to a reference model that is too far removed from our current possibilities. Knowing ourselves well and learning to accept our peculiarities can help us in this sense.
Otherwise, every moment that passes we will be paying our attention to secondary aspects that take us away from the authentic experience of living in the present.
5. Discover Mindfulness
Currently we have this technique to be able to put into practice the fact of connecting with our objectives by living in the moment.
It is not a fad although this term is heard more and more in a colloquial way, but rather a true tool with which to learn to connect with the now .
In the search to live in the present one of the keys is to resort to the so-called full attention, for which we seek to manage the focus of our attention to avoid harmful thoughts that distract us from what really interests us .
To learn more about what it consists of and how to put it into practice, you can read this article on Mindfulness.
6. Practice exercise
An easy way to focus on the present is sport Since we have to concentrate on the correct way to carry it out and put attention in the effort that it requires of us, just the fact of starting to practice it will allow us to disconnect naturally from everything that worries us and connect with the experience of that moment.
In addition, we will have one more incentive to use this resource; endorphins.
When we practice physical exercise, our body rewards us with yet another benefit and is derived from the secretion of this neurotransmitter, which will provide us with relief from possible ailments and both physical and mental well-being.
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