How to Stay in the Present Moment in Everyday Life

When your alarm went off in the morning, you immediately jumped out of bed. While brushing your teeth, you were thinking about what you were going to wear. You started circulating on social media as you were having your breakfast. On your commute to work, you either read the news or listened to music on your phone. Meetings, phone calls, e-mails, and last-minute assignments are all on the agenda. After taking a little break for lunch, you picked up where you left off.

If we don't speak with ourselves, we'll constantly be distant from the outside world. Are you aware of how many people we communicate with on a daily basis? From the minute we wake up, we are disconnected from our bodies, minds, and emotions. However, our relationships with others (both personal and professional) are only as good as our relationships with ourselves. Every connection we make, with ourselves or others, requires our whole attention.

Another advantage of having a strong connection with yourself is that it prevents us from absorbing the emotions of those around us like a sponge throughout the course of the day. It is important to remember that the people with whom we come into contact feed us in either a positive or negative way. Instead of feeling the wrath or fright that our colleague, the driver we encounter in traffic, or our neighbour reflect on us, exercising control over their influence on us strengthens us and prevents us from getting carried away by such feelings of powerlessness or helplessness.

The fact that we rarely commit to anything in the vast majority of our discussions is another important aspect to keep in mind. In these processes, we either stymie ourselves or are stymied by the data flow that we are dealing with. Consequently, we are completely unconscious of what is taking place in both the inner and exterior worlds.

We conduct another meeting in the shadow of the previous phone chat, combining the stress of the previous meeting with the anxiety of the subsequent meeting. In all situations in which we are unable to intentionally direct our attention to the present moment, our emotions and behaviours are derived from long-forgotten patterns. It is our memorised habits that determine how we will react to events in the quickest and most comfortable way for us. These habits also redirect our attention away from our own preferences and points of view.

Consider taking a few minutes to reconnect with your body after waking up rather than leaping out of bed as soon as you wake up. From your toes to your head, you will have a brief encounter with your body in which you will scan it quickly.

Even just a few minutes of breathing meditation before you begin your day will help you to concentrate on your breath and become more productive. Make 10 repetitions of this exercise, breathing in and out with your normal breathing pattern and counting after each breath.

As an alternative to checking social media or reading the newspaper when you need a break, take a brief walk outside if you can, or do a fast tour of the hallway. Alternatively, you may clean and reorganise your workspace.

Don't wait till something aches before you start paying attention to your health. Keep an eye on your body every now and again to check if you're straining your shoulders at the computer, trembling your feet when talking on the phone, or clenching your jaw muscles unintentionally during a meeting.

It is possible to consciously experience endings and beginnings; all new beginnings, such as a new meeting, leaving the office, or returning home, should be welcomed as a new experience distinct from the previous ending. Remove the spectre of the previous experience from your mind.

---