Being Present
This holiday is like no other any of us have experienced
before. The uncertainty and worry people are experiencing has created a great
amount of stress and anxiety. It has also been able to bring families closer
together, some physically since they have been required to remain home more,
work from home, or school from home. This has given many families challenges,
but also the pleasures of really connecting and getting to know each other
better. In our fast-paced society of work, school, extra-curricular activities,
many families had been so busy they really did not get to connect. While we
have been “connected” via social apps, etc. we have lost some of that true connection. So,
if there has been any benefit to this social distancing, it has been to slow
things down and give us opportunity to interact on a personal level with our
closest family members.
Since this is the holiday season, I would like to focus this
blog on being PRESENT, not presents, but presence.
What does presence mean? the fact or
condition of being present. Present can be further defined as: of,
relating to, or constituting a verb tense that is expressive of present time or
the time of speaking.
How can we incorporate it into our lives? Being Present or having presence can
be incorporated at any given moment in time. It is when you take pause in the
moment, and really stop and pay attention to what is going on around you, or
the interaction with someone in that moment. You have stopped thinking about
things that have just happened, happened in the past, or worrying or thinking about
what will happen or things you were planning on doing or needed to get done.
You take that moment and let all outer distractions and thoughts float away and
pay attention only to the now.
What will being present help with? Taking a moment during any point and
time of your day, in any interactions, or even in a moment when you are not
interacting with anyone or anything, and just being aware of that which is
going on around you can help give you a sense of calm. It can
give you a sense of appreciation or gratitude for what you may be
enjoying or fortunate to have in that moment. This can remove you from
the stress of planning and busyness of everything else you have on your
to do list. So, this can help decrease anxiety and stress in
yourself. If you are being present while with the company of others, you are
also enjoying a better connection with those persons. In turn,
those persons are feeling a better connection with you. This may be a moment
that the other person really needed. Maybe they have been feeling overlooked or
ignored by others or in other recent situations. You can give this person a
moment when they are able to be themselves and be heard. Being present can give
so much more than only to yourself, it can directly give something valuable to
others when you are with them.
How to be present?
- Put down your phone.
- Stop browsing on the internet.
- Take a deep breath.
- Pause in what you are doing.
- Look the other person or persons in the eye when talking to them.
- Listen attentively in conversation, try not to worry about what you want to say next. Really listen.
- Turn down or off TV’s or music that can distract from the interaction.
- When by yourself:
- notice noises around you,
- activity around you,
- look into the sky,
- into the trees,
- notice nature, birds, squirrels, geese.
- Take deep breaths of fresh air and let it fill your lungs.
- Let go of anything you were worried about.
- Every moment day or night is an opportunity to be present.
- Practice being present when at work, at work meetings, with customers.
- Practice being present at the dinner table with your family. Have everyone participate.
There are so many ways and opportunities to put this into
practice. Notice how different you feel personally, and about your interactions
with others.
Today Is a Gift
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a
mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”
— Alice Morse Earle
I would like
to share another blog post with you from Nick Ortner
who founded The Tapping
Solution. He does great work with Tapping or EFT (Emotional Freedom
Technique) which can help with so many things from anxiety, worry, high stress,
difficulty sleeping to PTSD and depression. This blog is about four
things to let go of this season. If you are feeling overwhelm, or lack
of control of things in your life letting go can really help decrease any
burden you are feeling. So, check it out!
May your
holidays be Merry and Bright, may you find all your Happiness and Peace all
around you.
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