Coping With Life’s Ups and Downs by Being Present
August 3rd, 2008 by Andy
Perhaps you spend much of your time thinking about what will happen in the future, or maybe what has happened in the past. You may find it hard to be excited or happy because your worries constantly occupy your mind. If you find yourself wondering if you can be happy or if you can find the excitement you once had in life, continue reading.
My interpretation of my life hasn’t always been so nice. I have experienced some very difficult situations throughout my life that eventually led me to almost forget that it was possible to be excited or happy. This eventually led to my divorce and eventually a new phase of learning and enlightenment for me. During this time I found that I can in fact be happy and excited whenever I choose to be. I learned that not only can I be happy, but that the problems and thoughts that led me to be unhappy really weren’t so bad in the first place. So how does one go from being depressed an unhappy most of the time to being excited to live each and every day?
The secret that I discovered has been called different things by different people. The secret is to live your life in the present. Maybe you’ve noticed that sometimes when you’re watching a good movie, all of your worries may melt away. Or perhaps while you’re working, time seems to fly and you’re worries disappear. In either case you have most likely experienced the present at one time or another. Now you need to learn to bring yourself here more often.
Take a moment and close your eyes. Concentrate and notice every sound around you. Now open your eyes and see everything at the same time as you hear. If you did that you may notice now that while you were doing it, you weren’t thinking of the past or the future, but instead you were focused on the present.
Now that you understand what the present is, and how to experience it, you can begin to incorporate the present more into your life. Whenever you notice yourself focusing on the past or what may happen in the future, bring yourself back into the present. Focus on what is happening right now. The more you practice doing this, the more often you will find yourself being happy and excited here in the present.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this archive is provided 'as is' without warranty of any kind. The entire risk as to the results and the performance of the information is assumed by the user, and in no event shall Andrew Almquist be liable for any consequential, incidental or direct damages suffered in the course of using the information in this archive. Use of the information contained in this archive are governed by their respective license agreements and may contain restrictions on use.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:31 am
I like it. I think it could help many people whose lives become miserable because of anxiety of the past or the future. Very well done blog. Congratulations!
September 14th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
This is essentially the main idea in the book the Peaceful Warrior.