Tips for being present

Last night, I had the chance to lead a group on being present. So I've got some tips to share with you today! Here they are:

What stops us from being present?

• Worry, fear
• Complaining
• Imbalanced health
• Repetitive story telling
• Judgment of others, positive or negative
• Our personal agendas of what we think should happen
• Comparing our experience to our past or the expected future
• Thinking something is “wrong” and wanting to fix it, resisting it

What helps us to be present?

• Love
• Breathing
• Appreciating
• Abstaining from complaining
• Being with animals and children
• Helping, serving, supporting others
• Being playful & creative (singing, art, dance)
• Rainbows, puppies, unicorns, & gourmet foods
• Thinking something is “right” and being grateful for it
• See life as series of synchronicities, being in the right place at the right time
• Paying attention to the details around you, do a 360 degrees of your environment and drink it in, use all your senses

Questions to consider

• What do I value about what’s happening right now?
• How is life supporting me right now? (list people, food, home, etc.)
• What am I learning from this experience? How has it helped me grow?
• In what new ways do I know myself after having the strength to go through this?

Anything you'd like to add to the list? Do share

Comments

[Positively Present]

Great tips here! It's so important (and hard!) to live in the present moment but I think there are some really great ideas here. Thanks for sharing them!

[Pink Heels]

I absolutely love the questions that you present to the reader of this fabulous blog post. Have you ever considered creating a guided journal?

[Vanessa Smith]

Thanks for the comments! That's a great idea Pink Heels. I'll do it!

[Lynn Somerstein, PhD, RYT]

Loved your list, especially "abstaining from complaining." I'd like to add one more item- feeling your body. Sometimes our lives create dead spots in our bodies to "protect" us from our emotions, but that gradually deadens us, and our feelings too- good and bad.
I pay special attention to this in myself and in others--I'm a psychotherapist and a yoga teacher.

[Vanessa Smith]

Yes, absolutely! I think, too, it's important to remember that as one becomes more present to their body, stuff may come up. To remember that it's ok and it's just being cleared out. Trusting our bodies is one of the most powerful ways to be present.