The other night I started to feel that rushing feeling where my heart starts raising and my gut tense up like a knot. I realized quickly I started to stress myself out without doing anything. It was all coming from my head and thoughts.
How many times have your been thinking about something when your pulse starts rising and you feel the stress building up. Many of us hold stress in different places. Shoulders, chest and gut are big ones. I have been there many times myself. I stress myself out with my thoughts only. I start to think and not realizing that my thoughts are stressing me the #€# out. When I realize that I am doing it to myself it can be hard to come back, but realizing it is a big first step. And the faster we catch ourselves, the faster we can get out of it. Out of the past or the future and back to the present moment.
What am I trying to say? Well, when you are stressed, are you thinking about something that happened or something that are about to happen? if you would take a moment and just be in this moment. Not thinking of anything else but this moment you reading this sentence, how do you actually feel? Your being wherever you are reading this line, word for word.
When I mean present I don’t mean 1 hour or even 1 minute from now or past, the present is now, for me right not it is exactly this present moment when I am typing these words on my mac Lava (yes, that’s her name) and writing this. Being here and nowhere else in the past or future.
Are things as bad as they seem when you are in this present moment? If no, you are probably in this present moment. If yes, you are probably still pulling towards the past or future.
It is not easy but at the same it does not have to be so hard either. The first step is awareness. And you reading this means that you are on a great path to success, yey for you!
When stuff is really bad around you, it is very hard to get out of the pain and into the present moment. And sometimes we just have to feel it. We have to go trough it to be able to heal and let go. But when it is things that we feel stressed and anxious about that we don´t really have to feel bad about, then we can remind ourselves to come back in the present. It takes practice because our bodies are so used of getting stressed, that it happens almost automatically.
With practice we can get out of it.
For me personally, Thai is an excellent way of getting into the present. Follow the breathing; listen to the body, feeling for tension and areas that needs extra attention. Listen to the client and being there one breath at a time.
Many times I have had Nuad Thai Yoga clients who have had problems with feeling stressed and anxious. Afterwards they have experienced a relief in their bodies. It has been times were a client has experienced that a tension has been released from a specific area like shoulders or gut. Or that after the first session they have pin pointed were they keep “stuff” meaning stress or knots, in their bodies. Places where many were not conscious about before. And after a couple of sessions working those areas their bodies and feelings have started to release and change for a lighter less stressful feeling. Of course there are other opponents that is important as well, diet, exercise and taking care of your inner self is truly important. It is all connected.
It’s not always easy, but its necessary for our own happiness. And I believe that sometimes we decide that things are harder than they have to be. Even if it really feels hard, just deciding that it is easier than I originally thought can switch your thinking.
Sometimes we will succeed to get back to the present, and sometimes we wont. As long as we keep focusing on it, it will become easier over time.
Sometimes we wont to reach the goal at the time we have hoped, or the place we feel we are meant to be. That makes being the present even more important. Cause if we can truly enjoy the journey, we don’t have to wait anymore for happiness. And how many times haven’t we met our goal, been happy for 5 min and then realized that the happiness doesn’t really last that way?
Being in the moment can change your entire life cause when you are in the moment you realize that your life is pretty great. Whenever you feel bad, you probably are focusing on either the past or the future. And when you feel good, it will radiant from you and things will start to fall into place, doors will open and you will move forward with more ease and less struggle. Try it!
Not so long ago I was in a bad place personally. And it was mostly internal stuff I was fighting with. One day I realized that I had been living in the past by thinking of mistakes and not so fun things in the past, and things I was worried about for the future. I was never really in the present moment. When I got that “aha” moment and realized what I was doing. I first got a little angry and then I started to focus %100 on the present. And I have to say, things started to shift almost immediately.
From feeling down, stressed and anxiousness, it left my body somehow. When I saw what was right in front of me, I saw that my life was pretty great. And I have not looked back since. Ok, I have had setbacks, we all do, but I catch myself early and consciously bring myself back. The great part is when I don´t worry about things, I get things done more easily. Cause I don’t have those bad feelings falling me around and blocking my brightness and inspiration.
Down below is steps I did to bring me back to now.
Things you can do:
- Breath, listen to your breathing, meditate,
This helps me usually wherever I am doing. Walk away for just a couple of seconds and take a couple of big breaths and listen to every part of the inhale and the exhale. Feeling the sensation and your body’s reaction. You can even do this if you are in a big crowd, maybe in the subway. Close your eyes and take as many big slow breaths as needed. If you only have 1 minute to spare, use that minute for this.
- Do something to get out of it. Something that you enjoy doing, reading, petting the cat, read a gossip magazine or call a friend.
- Make a song list of songs that make you feel hopeful and powerful. (80s Madonna songs works great for me, the classics, Express yourself, oh yeah!) Keep it close so when you start to feel blah, press play and let the music help you.
- Take responsibility for your feelings and to do something about it. This is an important one! This is something YOU have to DO to get out of. It will not help to just read this and think it will work without doing it. If you read my last blog post, you know what I am talking about. I was in that “not doing it” mode for a long time and I really want you to not to be there as long as I was. Cause when you start doing things, things will change.
Your turn, what do you do to keep yourself in the present moment? Share comments below of ideas on how to be in the present moment. Sharing struggles and how we came through it is an awesome way to be at service of the world. If you are struggling right now and need some support, feel free to comment also and we will be there to try and help and support.