Here and now: how to be in the moment

Are you really present in the present?

There comes a time or various points in time along our personal path when we find ourselves at a crossroads of sorts where a decision has to be made - such decisions can seem momentous when we're in the thick of it - and so we anxiously analyse what's gone before and fret about what might possibly lie ahead according to what actions we eventually choose to carry out and to which route to take. Alternatively it doesn't always take a bout of decision-making being foisted upon us to find ourselves trying to unravel things about our past and then worrying about potential events that may not even happen the way we imagine they might. Stop. Just for a moment. That's the lesson here.
 
On a brief visit to London recently I headed (as is the norm) to the nearest cavernous bookstore after a trip to the theatre and found myself gravitating towards the self-help section (not the norm - it's the crossroads thing) which was sizeable. There sure is a market for this genre. I didn't really know where to start or what I was particularly looking for in the way of literary support and I began to feel a tad lost when I caught sight of a book on a nearby stand which had the word ‘NOW' in big font as part of the title. I thought that seemed a good place to start; no trimmings or false promises but direct and decisive-sounding. So I found myself purchasing Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now the first self-help book that I'd bought in twelve years (the previous one being The 12 Secrets of Health and Happiness by Australian psychologist Louise Samways).
 
The premise of it is self-explanatory and although it's a tough call to expect people to completely sever past ties and stop fantasizing about the future in order to become spiritually enlightened there is something we can learn from this when things seem misaligned in our life. Sometimes we need to hop off the emotional treadmill that involves living too much in the past or the future and which after all is not really living but merely exists as thoughts in our consciousness. We can learn from what has previously occurred with us but we can't physically change it and we can entertain certain hopes in relation to our future but we can't entirely manipulate it as some things are out of our mortal control. What we can momentarily do to take stock and gain greater clarity is to be present in the now. This will help us focus on what is truly important and prevent our precious energies from being squandered.

Four tips to help with focus - let it go.

1. If something has happened in the past that has caused you negative feelings such as anguish or resentment that seem to still linger remind yourself that the events themselves that directly caused these emotions no longer exist in the physical sense. They have vanished like ice-cubes in a frying pan. All that exists now is your thoughts about them. Thinking in itself can give tremendous power to something. Don't let these negative feelings become inflamed and adversely affect your wellness. Allow yourself to preserve this energy and use it in ways that will be more beneficial to you. Let it go.
 
2. Wondering what the future holds can be an equally thrilling and daunting prospect. Our current deeds and thoughts can have an impact on what is to ensue but are not able to entirely shape what will happen. Trying to maintain command of things that are essentially beyond our control will eventually exhaust us or backfire in the end. There is a certain freedom in accepting that some things are not meant to be totally under our jurisdiction. In spite of all the ways in which we foresee it the future is yet to be. Sometimes our anxiety or longing for what is to be never eventuates anyway. Let it go.        
 
3. Go somewhere you feel safe or comfortable or inspired whether it be a quiet part of the office a favourite chair with a cup of tea at home or somewhere outdoors with an expansive view. Cast aside worries about what has happened what may or may not happen and which don't actually exist in this now. Focus on this moment and what you have. Cherish it. Engage your senses and be mindful of what you see hear touch and taste. Be aware of your breathing and how each breath is reinvigorating and is giving you resolve to tackle whatever comes. Let it go.
 
4. Think of something that requires you to ‘get lost' in the task. This is not the same as being lost in thought but lost in the doing of the task itself when you have to concentrate so fully on the moment that there is little possibility of thoughts wandering elsewhere. It might be something to do with your work — you might have achieved that state of mind known as ‘flow' that is not burdened by worrying thoughts or ideas  — or it could be with a hobby like cooking, playing sports, fixing or making something, or spending time with your kids. Do it. Let it go.
 
Remember that the strengths and qualities that you need to live an enriched life can't be dug out of the past or captured in the ether of some future that might take a different turn to the one that you envisage -  you already have them. Here and now.

 Written by Cassandra Duell.