The Here & Now
You cannot, take action in the past. That’s over and done with. By the same token, you can’t inhabit the future, for that time has yet to arrive. All you have, therefore, is the here and now.
The here and now better known as the “present” is where it all happens, the action, awareness, change, integration, relationship etc. Whatever is happening in our heads, whatever we are feeling, it is all triggered and experienced in the here and now.
This is why it is so important to be fully engaged in the now whatever the current situation or circumstances, it where the facts are available, where we can gather all relevant information and make the best decision.
Being fully engaged in the here and now requires all parts of the human experience to be present, our body, our minds, sensations, the environment, awareness to this level in the present moment, some call it mindfulness, feels passive and yet also innately disturbing. To be still amongst it all takes practice, yet it cultivates a sense of clarity and inner peace, a deeper connection with access to our own inner wisdom and sense of knowing.
The here and now statement sounds so permanent and set, and yet, in fact it emphasizes the transient nature of life as the here and now is a moment-by-moment process, constantly changing.
The here and now triggers thoughts, feelings, and images that allow us to recognise unprocessed trauma or other experiences. The here and now is where we get access to learned beliefs, ideas, rules that we didn’t know we were living by and have never questioned.
The here and now is where the results of our thoughts, feelings, actions are viewable!
So how do we support ourselves to live more often and fully in the here and now – Here are some tips on turning your thoughts to the present:
Give yourself little reminders. Use sticky notes, audible or visual alerts to remind you to come back to the present. This technique actually works and supports us to create a habit of being more present.
Give yourself regular breaks, to notice what you can see, hear, smell, feel, taste just to notice your surroundings and what catches your eye.
Place a cold flannel on the back of your neck. (I promise this works – it helps reset the nervous system)
Get up and move around at regular intervals. Take a quick walk to the nearest door and window and look or step outdoors. Climb stairs if you have any close by. Whatever the activity is, if you’re up and moving, that will serve to bring you back to the present. The act of getting up itself reminds you of the here and now.
Make it fun, and or interesting, get as curious as possible about whatever you are doing and get creative within the experience of it.
Remind yourself that this moment is one of a kind, like finger prints there will never be another moment exactly like this one.
So, when you find yourself thinking about the past, projecting into the future or ruminating over old circumstances etc, ask yourself, “How is this relevant to the now?”, or maybe “what is it about the now I’m not wanting to experience?” or you may have another question that works for you, the question just needs to come from a place of genuine curiosity.
There is a wee Coffee time video about this also over on my website if you enjoy that kind of thing.
Have a great week, my friends.
Thanks for reading. If you would like to learn more, I would love for you to visit my website www.pampoole.co.nz
