I am a firm believer that everyone would be happy if they just stayed in the present moment. If they did not constantly worry about events from the past or the future. You know what they say, the present is a gift. And it’s true. It really is.
If you think back to any moment in time when you were unhappy, in a bad mood, or anxious and reflect on the cause of that feeling, 99% of the time it is because you were thinking about either the past or the future. I know this is true because I’ve seen it so many times in my life. Here is what I’ve come to believe. I believe in the times we are anxious, we are either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. There are no other reasons. That is why mindfulness and being in the present is so important.
Anxiety’s whole deal is that it makes you unnecessarily worked up over things that might or did already happen. And the crazy thing is that worrying about this stuff does nothing to the situation. Adds absolutely no benefit! But we still do it all the time anyway.
I am guilty of doing this way more than I wish I was. However, thinking about anxiety and the root of it from this perspective has made me realize that if in times of anxiety, we remind ourselves where we are in the present moment, we would realize there is no real reason to feel anxious. Let me give you an example for reference. Let’s say I’m sitting at the lunch table and I hear the group right next to me talking shit about me. That immediately makes me feel anxious. It certainly is in the present. It’s right there at that moment. Right at the table next to me. But no. If I think about where I really am in the present moment, I am just sitting at a table. Sitting in a chair. In the lunchroom. Okay, well this doesn’t feel like a very threatening situation anymore. So, I realize there is no need to feel anxious. I take a deep breath, completely in the present moment and separated from any anxious thoughts trying to barge in, and calm myself. Now, I can act on the situation coming from a place of reason, not from a place of overwhelming emotion. Why are they even talking shit about me? Is it something that I did? In the past? Well, I can’t control the actions I already committed, so there is no use in feeling anxious over that. The only thing left to do is just let it go. The reality of the situation is I am sitting in a chair thinking about all these crazy things. Outside of my brain, there’s just me sitting. And that there is the present moment.
The bottom line is that the present truly is a gift, and way too often we take it for granted. Start reminding yourself to live truly and solely in the present moment, and you will uncover a whole new level of contentment. It has worked for me and I believe it can work for you, too.
– Avery
Mentally, I’m Here 