Being present can help you stay in the moment and focus on what’s important. But with all the distractions of modern life, it can be hard to stay present.
Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to improve your presence and mindfulness. Learn how to be more aware of your surroundings while understanding the importance of mindfulness in this post.
How Being Present Can Help Benefit Your Health
Being present can impact both your physical and mental health – in positive ways. When you truly live in the moment, you can heal and accept the past. You may also realize that what is coming in the future no longer worries you. It’s when we focus too much on the past or future that we can miss the simple joys in life.
By living mindfully, we can make the most of each day and improve our well-being. Here are some of the key benefits:
- Reducing stress: Being present can help reduce stress significantly. By allowing yourself to focus on the present moment, you can let go of worries about the past or future.
- Boosting mental clarity: When you’re fully present, you’re better able to concentrate and focus. This can improve mental clarity and cognitive function.
- Enhancing relationships: When you’re present with someone, you’re better able to listen, communicate, and connect with them. This will create a stronger bond and relationship.
- Improving sleep: Being focused on the current moment can help quiet your mind and reduce anxiety. A peaceful mind can help improve sleep quality.
- Lowering blood pressure: Being present and practicing relaxation techniques like meditation can help lower blood pressure. Low blood pressure can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Enhancing immune function: Stress can weaken the immune system. By focusing on the now, you’ll no longer allow the past or future to create stress and anxiety.
- Increasing happiness: Being fully engaged in the moment can increase feelings of happiness and satisfaction with life.
- Boosting physical performance: When you’re fully present and focused, you may be able to perform physical tasks more efficiently and effectively.
Now that you’ve got a list of benefits of being mindful, you are almost ready to hit the ground running! Before we provide some ways to be more present, we’d also like to call out common distractors.
If you can try to prevent these distractors in your life, it will make mindfulness even easier. But remember, when trying something new, be kind to yourself. Do not take an all-or-nothing approach.
Reasons Why Being Mindful Can Be Difficult
There are many reasons why people struggle to stay present in everyday life. Here are a few common reasons:
- Overthinking: Many people have a tendency to ruminate on the past or worry about the future, which can make it difficult to stay present.
- Distractions: In today’s digital age, there are countless distractions that can take our attention away from the present moment. Social media, email, and other notifications can disrupt our peace.
- Stress and anxiety: When we’re stressed or anxious, our minds tend to race and we can find it difficult to focus on the moment at hand.
- Multitasking: Many people try to do multiple things at once. When you are pulled in different directions, it’s sometimes hard to complete even one task.
- Lack of mindfulness skills: Being present is a skill that takes practice. For some, this may not come easy. If you want to learn some techniques, check out these mindfulness solutions.
- Personal beliefs and values: Some people may believe they need to be constantly productive. This can cause anxiety and stress. Remember that rest is important for personal growth and health.
These are just a few examples of the many reasons why people may struggle to stay present in everyday life. It’s important to identify the specific reasons why you might be struggling so that you can work on developing the skills and strategies needed to cultivate mindfulness.
How to be more present – 14 ideas to try today
Here are some ways to be more present in your daily life:
- Practice mindful activities: Set aside time each day to focus on the present moment. Observe your thoughts without judgment.
- Engage your senses: Take time to appreciate your surroundings. Focus on the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures around you.
- Use reminders: Use physical reminders, such as a note, or a sticker, to remind you to be present and focus on the moment.
- Disconnect from technology: Pause notifications or put your phone away.
- Take breaks: Allow yourself to rest and prioritize downtime.
- Avoid multitasking: Try to focus on one task at a time. Give that one task your full attention.
- Practice gratitude: Take a few moments each day to reflect on what you’re grateful for. Seek out the good things in your life.
- Slow down: If you feel rushed, stop yourself, take a breath and slow your pace.
- Be present with others: When you’re talking to someone, give them your full attention. Listen actively, and engage in conversation without distractions.
- Appreciate nature: Spend time outdoors. Appreciate the beauty of the world around you.
- Practice acceptance: Accept things as they are. Focus on what you can control and let go of things you cant.
- Mindful eating: Enjoy your food. Appreciate the flavors and textures of your food.
- Practice self-compassion: Be kind to yourself. Build up positive self talk and allow yourself to rest.
- Travel and explore new places: There’s nothing like new scenery to grab our attention. If it’s a quick road trip with your dog or a girl’s weekend, take that PTO!
Remember that being present is a practice that takes time and effort, so be patient with yourself as you learn to incorporate these techniques into your daily life.
Additional Research to Support the Benefits of Mindfulness and Being Present
We can preach about the positive benefits of mindfulness all day but we also wanted to provide some data. In our research, we found that mindfulness and prioritizing being present in the moment can actually benefit your mental health and well-being.
Actively practicing mindfulness can reduce stress and improve mood. When you no longer dwell on the past or worry about the future, you may feel more at peace with your current life.
Another study showed that while practicing mindfulness may not always improve your levels of happiness, you may experience increased life satisfaction.
All in all, when you harness the power of living in the now and free yourself from the past, you may experience large improvements in your life.
If you need some added help on your journey, we wanted to also provide some quotes to help you on your journey of living in the now.
Mindfulness Quotes That You’ll Love
Whenever we start a new journey in life, we always love to read quotes to inspire us. Call this your self-improvement journey to be mindful and present. Here are some of our favorite mindfulness quotes:
“When you’re feeling frazzled, put all of your attention on the breath. It’s a portal into the present moment, the best remedy for stress.” — Ellen Barrett
“Paradise is not a place; it’s a state of consciousness.” – Sri Chinmoy
“Everything is created twice. First in the mind and then in reality.” – Robin Sharma
“Life is a dance. Mindfulness is witnessing that dance.” – Amit Ray
Final Thoughts
If you have been wondering how to be more present, we hope that this post helped provide some clarity and guidance. When working on something in your life, it’s important to remember to give yourself some grace.
There are things that come easy from some and not as easy for others and that’s okay. Remember that by even starting a journey to try to be more mindful, you should celebrate your efforts.
If there are other tips and suggestions you’d like us to highlight to be more mindful, feel free to drop those in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for stopping by!
T&W