Learn how to live in the now to live better and happier

Are you trying to live for today? Hoping to strengthen your attachment to the present? Struggling with past regrets? Extremely anxious about the future?

Here's how to live today and have a happier life

If the answer is yes, keep reading. The hard truth is that most of us - that is, men and women - have a hard time living in the now. This is especially true if you have anxiety and your mind is constantly active, seething with anxious thoughts.

The reality is that when you are not living in the present, you are living in an illusion. This means that you are holding yourself prisoner to who you were in the past or who you could be in the future, being unable to experience what you really are in the now.

But how can you live today without constantly ruminating about the past or endlessly wishing for the future? Also, how do you focus your mind to be in this moment, this very second in time?

Let's be honest, it's not an easy thing. I recognize that this may not be what you want to hear. But you came looking for answers and you will have them!

The benefits of living in the present moment

When you live in the moment, you experience a number of benefits, whether in your personal life or at work:

You pay attention to the activities you do, doing them with greater diligence and care;
You can optimize work tasks, with more focus on activities, more proactivity and making your day more productive;
It decreases anxiety and lowers cortisol, the stress hormone, when you focus on the now, without remembering the past or imagining the future;
Improves your breathing and blood pressure;
It makes you realize that the past and the future - although they don't exist in the present moment - are consequences of today, making you realize that living today fully is the best choice.

But after all, how to live in the now?

At first, the answer is simple: learn to live in the now by practicing! This involves a mindset that slowly develops and becomes a way of life.

Being present in the moment means developing the ability to tune in to yourself and your surroundings. Mastering this skill will form the basis for everything that follows.

For that to happen, you need to give yourself the chance to create positive change. We use the word "create" because that's really what you're doing - creating an opportunity to live differently.

Try incorporating the following 11 behaviors. It might help to bookmark this page and revisit it to remind you of the key concepts, because as was done earlier, it takes practice.

1. Do not use an exhaust valve

When you want to live today, one of the ways to sabotage yourself is to use an escape valve to take you out of reality and consciousness. While marijuana, alcohol and other substances may be attractive to some people for recreational purposes, they should not be relied on as a path to a more peaceful life.

To live fully in the present, your mind needs to be clear and free. Substances do nothing but block your senses while projecting a false reality - and this is the complete opposite of what you are looking for.

2. Realize the 5 senses

Living in the moment means leaning into all five senses: touch, smell, sight, hearing and taste.

Throughout the day, stop for a moment and ask yourself, "What am I aware of right now?"

Some examples are seeing a bird, smelling a flower, tasting a piece of food, touching a tree, or listening to the flow of running water.

You will need to feel very comfortable with this question and identify the answers. This will be the key to shifting your thinking from the past and imagining the future to the present.

3. Do meditation

The Body Sweeping Meditation is very useful to make you feel in the present moment. In other words, it will allow you to strengthen your inner gaze, a Zen term used to describe a gateway to higher consciousness.

The practice of meditation is excellent for relaxing the mind and body, relieves tensions, improves mood and sleep, in addition, when you do body scanning, you are fully aware of your present, you focus on what you are seeing and feeling. in now.

There is no need to become a master of the Zen lifestyle to meditate. Also, you don't need to spend hours involved in this activity.

Instead, set aside 10-15 minutes a day and dedicate them to meditative activities. Many people like to do it in the morning as it is a powerful way to calm the mind for the rest of the day.

How to perform body sweeping meditation?

Start by finding a comfortable position;
Close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly, let the air in and out calmly, paying attention to your breathing;
Focus on one part of the body, it can be a foot, a leg, an arm... whatever; observe this part allowing yourself to feel some pain or tension there while breathing deeply; if you feel any discomfort in this area, don't be angry or upset, just accept what you're feeling while imagining the pain lessening; calmly move your awareness to another region, and so on.
If your thinking wanders, when you realize this, just refocus, without judging yourself;
As you finish your sweep, let your awareness run through your entire body, imagine it as a liquid filling a mold; keep breathing deeply;
Slowly release your awareness to the environment; the meditation is done!

4. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulnees is nothing more than the mindfulness of the moment. When you are engaged in mundane tasks such as washing dishes, vacuuming the carpet, ironing or folding laundry; pay attention to these little things.

Watch the water moving over the plates. Notice how the carpet responds to the vacuum of the vacuum. See the steam coming out of your iron. Notice how the fabric feels as you fold your clothes.

Did you get distracted? In that case, acknowledge it and don't try to fight it. Instead, give your mind permission to wander a little and then gently return to the task at hand.

5. Deal better with past memories

Perhaps the biggest barrier to living in the present is the thoughts of the past. Sometimes memories can be painful. Other times, they can be downright toxic.

What you need to do is remember that thoughts don't define you. At their core, they are nothing more than fragments of a past time.

Rather than trying to fight these thoughts, it is much better to accept that they enter your mind. One mistake people make is trying to "block out thoughts" or somehow eliminate them from awareness.

The problem is that the more energy you put into stopping thoughts, the more power you give them. Instead, it is better to accept their presence and let them come out of your awareness naturally.

Say to yourself, "I am aware of [fill in the blank] and I recognize that this is on my mind."

Allow yourself to be mindful of this thought as you draw into your mind other things that occur in your stream of consciousness. Eventually, the unpleasant memory will disappear.

Remember the words of famous psychiatrist Carl Jung , "What you resist, persists."

6. The past doesn't define you if you don't want to

Once again, one thing that will keep you from being present in the here and now is being a prisoner of the past. A telltale sign that you do this is constantly bringing up past events as an excuse not to change your life today.

For example: "My parents were horrible with money and that's why I'm so bad with it today."

While this fact about your parents may be true, it is not permission to replicate your actions. When you live in the present, you say no to becoming a victim of others' mistakes.

Take advantage of today - like this very moment - to write a new narrative about you. Once you do that, you are truly stepping into the here and now.

7. Pay attention to your breath

You don't have to go into meditation mode to focus on your breath whenever you want. Focusing on the air going in and out of the lungs allows the mind to connect with the body in a way that lowers heart rate and blood pressure. In turn, this enables you to be less anxious.

To do this action, just be in a quiet place, pay attention to your breath and feel life happening around you.

8. Have self-compassion

This is a widely used but often misunderstood term. Self-compassion is nothing more than the ability to acknowledge our own suffering with a loving heart. But don't confuse self-compassion with self-pity.

The main difference is that when you exercise self-compassion, you accept your personal pain while encouraging the healing process. In this way, you are truly living in the now.

9. Allow yourself to relax

For many people struggling with anxiety and depression issues, it can be nearly impossible to quiet the mind and simply exist in the moment.

If you're a person who constantly feels like you must be active to feel productive, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

But if your goal is to live in the present, you need to give yourself permission to relax. When you relax, in addition to being calm, you also enable your mind to see something in nothingness. Creativity doesn't happen when you're focusing on tasks. Instead, it happens when you're unfocused and worry-free.

10. Don't criticize yourself so much

One way to live in the present is to stop criticizing yourself altogether. This doesn't mean you shouldn't look at your past performance to identify areas that need improvement, but it does mean stop blaming yourself for past mistakes.

Instead, reprogram your thoughts with positive affirmations that focus on today. This means realistic self-talk with a forward-looking theme.

Example: "I am not a victim of my past mistakes. Today, I am writing my own future."

11. Don't despair about the future

For the anxious person, not worrying excessively about the future is very difficult. But keep in mind that the future does not yet exist, only the now exists.

But be very careful not to seriously believe the phrase "Live today as if there is no tomorrow" . Because tomorrow can come, and when it comes you will want to live it in the best way, right?!

So the key here is balance. You can and should plan for the future and work today to make it good, but without forgetting about your present, because this is the only time that exists now. If you only live for the sake of working today to enjoy the future, you're letting life pass you by without realizing it.

So, plan for the future, have goals, draw up a plan with goals that can be achieved and go after them to fulfill them. However, don't forget about now. Take time to relax and live for today, whether it's taking a walk in nature, enjoying a meal or taking a deep breath.