I have heard that phrase so many times that it has almost become a catch phrase whizzing past my ears with no connection to the actual meaning to the words and how incredibly profound they can be. Life reigns down, obligations, bills, events, gas prices, grocery prices, kids, homework, the list goes on! As that mental list grows so does the anxiety, the worry, the what if's, to the point that we stuff our face with food that we don't taste, drink alcohol so we can relax because we've lost complete touch with where we are right now consumed with what might be if we can just hold one ounce of control over what might not even happen. Sound crazy? It is, but unfortunately its how most of us live, and I am completely guilty of this mind set. I have found myself in a doctor's office with many options to 'deal' with my reeling mind and the thought that my lungs just won't cooperate in breathing properly anymore. How did I get this way, what did I allow to happen that make me so miserable and feeling so out of control of my own life? I had to take a step back and analyze where things had changed, what had I allowed to happen that had effected me so negatively? With out writing a novel with all the gory details I had stopped Living in the Moment. Wow, doesn't that sound simple? I am laughing at myself as I type that because simplicity was the farthest thing from my mind when I felt like I had placed a mountain on my shoulders. Somewhere (and I wish I could remember the exact article) I had read an article on this exact title, and it listed some of the symptoms of not living in the moment. It said that a person that feels depressed often thinks in the past, and that a person living with anxiety often lives for what might be. These words made a connection so deep in my mind that it brought me to tears. The answer was right in front of me. Most of my thought patterns were worrying about the future, and not even seeing what was in front of me, at that moment. From that point on there was a shift. Now I'm not saying that every waking thought was 'in the moment' but when I felt the familiar creeping sensation of anxiety bubbling up I would (and still do) stop and analyze it. Where is my mind? What am I thinking of? Are the thoughts worth the energy to produce them? Most times, they weren't. Actually almost always they weren't so I would put them out of my mind and bring myself to what I was doing, drinking a great coffee, walking in the sunshine, playing with my kids or my dog, simple things. And suddenly there was a shift and I realized my breathing had returned to normal, the lines on my face softened and I just felt so much better! I'm not a psychologist, never claim to be one. All I hope is that my experiences might just resonate with someone like another's words did with me. Could you imagine what the world would be like if we all just stopped worrying about what might be and just lived to enjoy now? Namaste |
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