Someone brilliant once described anxiety as the distance between 'here and there'…
In the 1960’s the concept of staying focused on the present moment became a part of our culture through popular music and literature.
We now have many phrases in our language to help us stay focused on the ‘here’. Sayings like ‘Be here now’ and ‘One day (step) at a time’ are designed to remind us that being in the present instead of putting our focus on what comes later can improve the quality of our life.
To illustrate this point, Dr. Patrick Gallagher, the Chairman of the Anthropology Department at George Washington University in the 1960’s, used to tell his students that you can’t be late until you actually arrive at your destination, so worrying about it in the meantime didn’t make sense…
DANCE WITH IT! EXPERIENTIAL APPS
An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas...
THE BEST EVER TRICK FOR STAYING IN THE NOW
BREATHE!
If you really focus on your breathing, especially if you include a ’count’ with it, it is just about impossible to focus on anything else!
The time honored formula is:
Take a deep breathe in on the count of 4
As you do this count ‘out-loud’ in your mind in a calming voice…
“In 2, 3, 4…”
Now as you exhale, once again use this same calming voice to count…
“Out 2, 3, 4…”
Do this several times (not while driving etc…)
After a few of these you will definitely be present and experience the joy of being in the moment. Your sense of smell, your vision and sense of touch, all your senses heighten as you oxygenate your entire system.
Giving ourselves totally present moments helps increase our ability to focus and deal with the ‘next steps’ or next pages in our lives with more wisdom and awareness.
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