Being in the moment is getting up with your life as it is naturally. It is being mindful, being present, where you are, what you are doing, how you are feeling without being distracted by regrets of the past, or anxiety of the future. It is not about being there in your head, but rather here.

When you are living in the moment, everything is different. Your food enhances in taste. The dialogues get more in-depth. You talk in a more jovial manner. You are less stressed. Your decisions are better. However, above all, you feel like a living person.

It is not always so simple, especially in times when people are distracted by the surrounding. Though it is an ability you can develop. You can learn to keep your brain in the present just as you would learn to ride a bike or how to cook.

How to Practice Living in the Moment

1. Breathe to Begin

The quickest method of coming back to the present is your breath. When you become stressed, absentmindedly you tend to either breathe faster or hold your breath. When you breathe slowly and deeply, and your brain is signalled that you are safe. There is no cause of alarm. You have got no hurry.

One minute of deep breathing will relax your body and enable you to refocus. Breathe in slowly through your nose, let your chest rise, keep breathing and then feel your chest lower after exhaling through your mouth. Notice the textures of the in and out air movement. When you are distracted, calm it in your breath. Such a simple thing reminds that it is the present that counts.

Harvard Medical School suggests that controlled breathing lowers stress levels and controls emotions. It is a little thing which can bring you into the whole moment.

Read also: 16 Fun Ways to Take a Mental Break from Life

2. Observe What You Are Carrying Out As You Carry It Out

Multi-tasking occurs most of the time, where a person is engaged in one thing yet he/she is thinking about another thing. You may eat with you gliding through your phone. During the walk, you may plan the things to be done. However, in doing so, one does not experience the experience.

Start small. When you are eating—eat. Observe the aroma, taste, and the feel. When walking, pay attention to the ground contact that you have with your feet. When you are conversing with another individual, look into her eyes. Just hear them out rather than what you are going to counter with.

It is referred to as mindful attention. It is the art of being in the here and not the nowhere that your mind drifts to. The more you do that the more alive and connected you will be in your day-to-day life.

Read also: How to Never Be Lazy Again Steps

4. Eliminate the Past When It Is Not Assisting You

It is normal to consider things that already happened. Perhaps, somebody has offended you. Perhaps you are in error. Perhaps, you would like something to have been different. It is difficult to present in the present when you are trapped in your past.

It is not necessary to forget. There is no need to lie that things did not happen. But you may decide not to replay them over and over. That moment is passed away, you may say to yourself. Now I am secure. I am here already.

You can do this by being aware when your mind is wandering off in the past and kindly being able to bring it back into focus on what you are doing. There is no need to judge yourself. Go and simply bring your attention to the present. This also creates the habit of not living in the past, but in the present.

5. Stop Worrying About What Hasn’t Happened Yet

Most individuals become concerned about the future. Are you going to achieve your targets? Will it turn out to be wrong? Will there be a level of depreciation of judgement of others? Such thoughts may be felt important but most of the time, they just put you in anxiety mood.

Reality is, the future is not here yet. What you control is the things you do today. Spending your time thinking of the things that have not yet happened makes you not to appreciate what is before your eyes.

Every time you begin to get your head racing over what lies ahead take a deep breath. Say to yourself, Right now I am okay. And then do something easy that updates you to the present-time such as stretching, going out, or drinking some water. Such small steps bring you to the present.

According to the American Psychological Association, human beings who are highly concerned with what will go wrong usually tend to have increased stress and laugh less. To live in the present moment makes you happier and safer.

6. Use Your Senses to Anchor Yourself

You have your senses to remain in the present. They draw you back to the environment when you get lost in your mind. At any given moment, you can ground yourself by sight, the sound, the touch, or the taste or smell.

Just take an object in your surroundings: a tree, a lamp, a sky. Behold it really. Hear something—perhaps a passing car, the song of birds or your voice. Touch anybody or something: your outfit, your cup, the soil beneath your feet. Spread the scent of the air. Take one gulp of water. Such details may appear minor, but they are extremely useful, because they help you take your mind out of your head and reality.

The so-called 5-4-3-2-1 approach is a typical mindfulness tool. You quietly observe 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This is a brief exercise that brings you back to the here and now through use of your own body.

7. Take Breaks Away From Distractions

Telephones, computers and televisions can be handy, however they take away your focus into the real life. You can find yourself mindlessly browsing through messages, scrolling through social media, or video watching without putting much thought to it. This habit takes you out of the presentness.

Short screen breaks are one of the ways to train to live in the present moment. Select an hour that you bury your phone. You may switch it off during meals, walks or just before going to sleep. Wait out that time, check on yourself, talk to a person, or have fun in the environment.

It does not mean that you should forego technology. However, when you start using it in a purposeful way, and not as a habit, you start regaining purposes of your time and of your attention.

8. Be Thankful of the Little Things

Gratitude makes you be mindful of the positive things in your life at any particular time. It can make you quit pursuing happiness in the future or feeling bad about what you do not have. Being grateful does not mean looking away at problems. It is acknowledging what has been okay.

Incorporating gratitude within your routine is easy. Write out aloud thank you. Write a sentence that you are grateful about every day. Look out in the little pleasures, a hot drink, a warm word, a soft coverlet. They are hard to notice when one is not observant. But they also make up part of life as we know it.

Research at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley has discovered that gratitude makes us happier, more healthy and more successful in relationships. And all begins with what already exists all around you.

9. Give Up the Imperative to Be Perfect

The attempt to live a perfect life usually prevents you living the actual one. When you constantly tend to fixing, adjusting, or planning you miss the beauty of being human. Life does not go neat and tidy. Nevertheless, it is not empty.

To live in the moment implies to settle in the present, including the messy. It is about appearing as you are rather than who you believe that you ought to be. You have a right to sleep. It is okay to slacken. You can also know how to take pleasure in things without them being a part of some ideal plan.

Abandoning perfection induces space in peace. It enables you to say to yourself, I have had enough of this. And there in that area you learn to believe in yourself once more.

10. Practice Presence

Most of the time I can be present during a calm morning or a calming walk. But life does not always run smoothly. We have working days, depressed days and stressing days. It is why it is so crucial to practice being present every day. It goes just like this: the more you train, the easier it goes even in those hard parts.

You should not require an ideal place to be present. All you need is to take a break, breathe, and observe where you are. Even one minor moment of awareness contributes to creating the habit. And as time goes, these little moments reshape the way you live your life.

As little as five minutes of presence on a daily basis can also teach your brain to remain focused and calm. It is like muscle building. The harder you exercise it, the more it becomes powerful.

Final Thoughts

Living in the moment does not mean forgetting your past or giving a hand to your future. It has to do with taking advantage of the only time you have guaranteed, the present moment. It is the matter of believing in getting slower in order to touch, hear and observe the life unfurling all around you and within you.

You do not need to be excellent at it. All you need to do is to start. You are brought out of the past, in every breath, every break, every little act of mindfulness. And this is where there is peace, joy and true connection.

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