Pinch yourself. You are awake. You are here. You are in this moment.

Having grown up in an alcoholic/dysfunctional family, I often wanted to be anywhere but in the moment. I wanted to zip into the future to see a better day. I wanted to be out of the pain and suffering that I was living through, but by doing that, I often missed the beauty of the moments that are special and happen each and every day right before our eyes.

How can you be more in the moment?

I now use guided meditation each day before I start work. I listen to an 18-minute recording by Deepak Chopra that helps me to feel calm and to focus on the hear and now.

Even while I’m meditating, I find that my mind wanders, and I need to re-center and focus on the present moment again and again.

To me mindfulness is about taking time to relax, focus and to build my discipline.

If I’m focusing too much on the past or the future, then I miss the present. And if we think about it, the present is all we really have.

But if you don’t have a meditation app or access to a guided meditation, you can take 10 minutes to sit still, be alone, and to focus on your breathing.

Take a slow deep breath in through your nose, listen to the sound of the air coming in through your nostrils, and filling up your lungs. Hold the breath for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. As you focus on your breathing, listening to your body and the sounds around you. Try your best to find a quiet place (away from other people and the noise from the outside) to center yourself.

Living in the moment can be challenging because you might not wish to feel or experience what’s going on around you.

Each of us has struggles and challenges that we’re dealing with each day, and how we respond to those challenges will be different each day. Sometimes we’re able to handle the stress and pressures of life, but there are other times when we fall.

That’s okay.

We’re human and need to be easy on ourselves.

Living in the moment does not mean that we don’t plan for the future or respect our past, rather it’s an essential balance of embracing who we are today and loving ourselves.

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.