Live the present

It is true that, although physically we are always in the present moment, on a mental and emotional level we can travel to the past or transport ourselves to the future. It depends on oneself. However, the ideal is Live the present and enjoy it.

Difficulties

Living in the present can sometimes be difficult. In fact, the main difficulties appear when we cannot get rid of the past and give it too much importance, or when we continually think about a hypothetical future, forgetting to live reality. Specifically, the difficulties to be faced are the following:

• Memories of the past: remembering and going around something negative that happened or was done.
• Happy situations lived in the past: think nostalgically about certain situations lived wishing to return to it.
• Fears or concerns for the future: anticipation with negative connotations usually leads to catastrophic predictions about what may happen.
• Daydreams with desires about what you want to achieve: the present time is consumed by waiting and the desire to reach a certain future situation, being used only as the vehicle to reach it.

recommendations

It should be noted that:

• The only situation that really needs to be faced at any stage of life is the present moment. You can always face and resolve any situation in the present. The answers, the strengths, the actions, the resources, will be there at the right moment when they are needed, not before or after, but at the precise moment when they are part of the present.
• When you are thinking negatively about the past or the future, you suffer emotionally, as if that situation were part of the present, causing unnecessary emotional wear due to an imagined or remembered reality.
• Thinking at a time other than the present is not necessarily a problem and, in many ways, it can be very enriching. What is really important is the freedom to do so, that is, it must be oneself who, voluntarily and in limited moments, remembers a past situation or projects towards a future situation.
• Only you have the ability to decide what to think, what to feel, and what to focus your attention on.

Train the ability to live in the present

The ability to live in the present can be practiced and trained as follows:

• Learn to observe oneself: we must be able to analyze and question a series of facts such as are we focusing exclusively on the present moment? What is our emotional state usually? Do we usually worry with anguish, fear or? Do we lament over deeds or actions of the past, reaching a state of guilt? What problem exists here and now, at this very moment? Is there anything that is not working right now?
• Cultivate the feeling of gratitude for the present moment and for what we have in this moment of life: we must value in a positive way and pay special attention to what really works.
• Recognize the unique uniqueness of each moment.
• Reflect on what can be appreciated in a complicated or difficult situation: think that even difficult moments happen for a reason and provide positive lessons that can be very useful.
• Be grateful and learn from the past: to do so we must reconcile ourselves with it.
• Project the future that we really want to build.

Results

Some of the advantages that we can achieve if we practice capacity are the following:

• Greater concentration on what is happening around us or on what we are doing.
• Greater awareness leading to greater enjoyment.
• Make things better: not having your mind occupied with other things allows all the capacity and concentration to be dedicated to the action of the present.
• Have a better memory by having been more concentrated.
• Greater happiness and productivity since we will be able to live the present without worries.

In general, we will achieve a more harmonious and positive life or, rather, we will learn to value and enjoy our present in such a way that we will have the feeling of having achieved a more positive life.

• The only real thing is the present moment, where experiences are embodied.
• Living in the present can be complicated whether we do not put the past aside or if we continually think about a hypothetical future, forgetting to live reality.
• The ability to live in the present can be practiced through self-observation and reflection exercises, among others.

Elena Killed Specialist in Clinical Psychology