I have learned so much about inner strength and being in the present moment over the past few years. Things come up in life. Challenges at work, a relationship went sideways, someone I love dearly leaves my life or plans that were made with excitement now aren’t going to work because of unforeseen circumstances. Experiences and challenges such as these are part of life. Although they continue, I know I get to choose my reaction to all of them, and that makes all of the difference!
What we think about comes about
To have a better experience requires me to change the way I am thinking about a potentially harmful situation. For example, instead of going to work expecting the day will be long, hard or awful, I start my day as soon as I wake up. By taking a few minutes to connect with my breath, I mindfully visualize a great, relaxed day with lots of positive experiences. When unpleasant situations arise, I once again connect with my breath reminding myself that I can change this particular experience by changing the way I react to it. There’s always a choice, and understanding this can be liberating!
Focusing on the act of breathing clears the mind of all daily distractions and clears our energy enabling us to better connect with the Spirit within.
Pause and breathe for better experiences
Pausing in my day to do some deep belly breathing helps me reset and regroup. It’s in that place of inner quiet that I can become aware of the present moment and in that space, I have the time to choose my reaction. My breath helps me tune into the intuitive nudges, and in turn, help me create my next experience. If I need to feel safe, I will focus on what it feels like to be safe. If I want more love, I explore what love feels like when I give it. If I want peace, I think about what it feels like when I meditate.
Mindful Moments
When I am acting mindful in each moment, it means the choices I’m making feel right. I try not to get caught up in expectation (my own or others), and I don’t plan too far ahead. I am just noticing what life is like right now. I am seeing and making conscious choices around whatever shows up. Each experience is mine to have, and so are my reactions.
When I am mindfully engaging with life, fully aware, and participating in the moment, I am more positive and loving. Being mindful allows me to feel everything and then let it go instead of storing it for a later time, where it might manifest as something more harmful, like disease.
Mindfulness is a tool and a practice. It helps me tame and train my mind to have longer attention times. Being mindful takes life off of autopilot and gives us opportunities to engage in life fully
Take the Five Senses exercise
This exercise quickly helps bring awareness to the present moment by noticing something you are experiencing with each of the five senses.
Notice five things you can see
Take a glance around to five things that you can see right now, choosing something that may not typically be in your awareness (the shape of a tree or small crack on the pavement or wall).
Notice four things you can feel
Look around and find four things you can touch that you may not usually notice. It could be the softness of a sweater, texture of the leaves on a tree, or maybe the breeze on our cheek.
Notice three things you can hear
Take a moment to listen to three sounds within your proximity that you may not usually notice. Possibly the sounds of a jet plane in the distance, the thrum of a lawnmower nearby or the beautiful birdsong as you walk along the sidewalk.
Notice two things you can smell
Bring awareness to two smells you may not usually notice, pleasant or otherwise. Maybe the food cooking as you walk by a restaurant or the smell the breeze brings in from the river as you walk along.
Notice one thing you can taste
Focus on one thing that you can savor right now. It could be a warm cup of ginger tea, the first bite of a blueberry muffin, or simply notice the current taste in our mouth.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
Happiest in the present moment
I find that it’s in the present moment where I am delighted. When I focus on the activity, not the outcome, I am engaging in life with all of my senses. When I allow myself to feel everything, I am healthier.
We all have the ability and the strength to endure and conquer so much more than we ever imagined possible. I believe that we can change our experiences for the better by changing the way we think about them.
Take a moment to think about your own life. How are you creating happiness and mindful moments?
One of my favorite quotes is “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think” – Christopher Robin to Winnie The Pooh