Daily Habits to Develop to Stay in the Present Moment with Less Stress Introduction:
“As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love, even the most simple action.”- Eckhart Tolle
We live in an age of constant doing, thinking, planning, worrying and fear. There’s always something that needs to be done, we need to prepare for or anticipate. It’s easy to get lost in the past or worrying about the future. But, as Spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle, wrote in his inspiring book, The Power of Now, learning to live in the present moment allows us to experience “a way out of suffering and into peace.”
Are there things you can do every day to help you stay in the present moment? After all, living mindfully is key to less stress. You’ve probably heard it said many times that it’s important to live and stay in the present moment. Or maybe you’ve heard similar pieces of advice like:
· “Be present in your own life.”
· “Don’t get caught thinking about the past or the future -live in the now!”
· “All you have is this moment. Don’t let it slip away.”
But given the fast pace and hectic schedules most people have, anxiety, stress and unhappiness are our new normal. It’s possible you don’t even realize it’s leaving you worn out and out of touch with yourself.
How often have you eaten a meal, and not even tasted it? You gulped it down and then went back to work. Or you completed a project without paying attention to it. Maybe you drove to work, arrived at your destination, and don’t remember the drive getting there.
Many people experience this multiple times every day, life passing us by while our minds are focused on something else. The solution is conscious awareness by living in the moment. This is also known as mindfulness, the foundation of Zen Buddhism. It’s not necessarily about meditating all day long. It’s more about being aware and in tune with your thoughts and actions, being aware of what your senses notice in your daily routine.
Living in the present moment sounds great but how do you actually put it into practice every day so that it becomes your new reality?
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at the many different habits you can develop to put living in the moment into practice every day.