Connecting to the moment, to the here and now is to me like freedom; a space away from the mind full of chatter to a moment of peace and stillness. In a busy day and a busy life, being able to get into this state fast is like magic! It can literally transform your day.
If you are anything like me, you may spend a lot of time thinking; about what happened a moment ago, an hour ago, yesterday, a year ago…and what is going to happen later today, tomorrow, in a year…This is totally ‘normal’ in our society and yet it serves little useful purpose, and it can be really harmful to your mental health.
Do you ever catch yourself thinking about an unpleasant experience that happened ages ago and wondering why you keep going there, and how annoying it is! Or is that just me…
I get the impression from most people I meet that it’s pretty standard to have those types of thoughts, or be so consumed with up and coming plans that you don’t feel connected to the here and now at all, and you’re living in a space that’s held for the future and, or stuck in the past.
Here are 3 super quick ways that I use when I need to get ‘here’ now. They take less than a minute to do all three.
Breathe
I know everyone says this, and you may think you breathe all the time so why is this mentioned but the key is to become aware of your breathing. That’s really it. Just take your attention to your breath and concentrate on your inhale and exhale. No aim to control it in any way, just notice it, and feel it. The moment you bring your awareness to your breathing, your mind calms down.
Feel your body
Don’t take this out of context! Haha. Taking a second to literally feel a part of your body will bring you out of that headspace and into the now. Sometimes if I’m walking along and realise that I’ve been lost in thought I will pinch my thumb and forefinger together to bring me back to my body and the here and now. It takes literally one second and it works.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Literally feel your feet connected to the ground, bring your awareness to your feet and push them against the floor beneath you. This is a method of ‘grounding’ or ‘earthing’ that pulls you back to the moment, to your connection to the earth, to your body. Out of your head and into your body.
I’m a big fan of having quick and easy tools like these in my wellbeing toolbox that I can use whenever I need them. Give them a try and see if they work for you too!
