Are You Present?
Finding presence in a busy world
Ironically, I sat down several times to write this blog post about being more present in the busy world we live in and each time I found myself being pulled away and my mind unwilling to focus on creating valuable content. The distraction of my “to do” list, snow days with the kids home 24/7, my phone dinging with notifications, Netflix’s Bridgerton and even my own fear that I have nothing valuable to say on the topic all led to what felt like a blockage.
These daily, consistent distractions are the exact reason why I feel compelled to write about finding more presence and connection in the day-to-day. It’s something we all experience and could benefit from gaining more clarity and direction around. Even as a life coach, I still work to balance finding peace within myself and living a busy, full life. I bet you can relate. It is for this very reason that we NEED a slow down, allow time to reset and be present with ourselves first and foremost. So from one person who is trying her very best to another, I am discussing my top strategies for being more present and finding deeper connection to yourself during this unprecedented time of distraction. So shut down the outside “noise” around you for a couple minutes and let’s work together in finding more peace right now.
1) Awareness Around Breathing
Eckart Tolle says that “one conscious breath in and out is a meditation.” As a busy, working mom I love the concept that I can tap into my awareness with one, conscious breath and bring myself to the present moment instantly. There would be no life if there was no breathing and yet we breathe 20,000 times each day and give it very little or no thought at all. We live in a non-stop world and as we slow ourselves down and bring our awareness to our breathing (even for a moment) it helps us to better regulate our body, mind and soul. Try it, breath in, hold it and breath out. Feel better? You are a living miracle and every breath you take is all the evidence you need.
2) 5 Minutes/Day With Yourself
If you’re a busy, parent like me, you may not remember the last time you had five minutes to yourself. Quiet, peaceful time to yourself is both necessary and sacred. It’s essential for us to develop the ability to turn down the outside noise of the world and turn up our inner voice. First, find a quiet place and get comfortable (there is no right or wrong way to do this). Personally, I like to place a hand over my heart and the other over my stomach. Take several deep, slow breaths and say to yourself, “I am listening, I am here.” I know it sounds weird to talk to yourself like this, but it works. As you quiet your mind, your inner voice has a turn to speak (or rather be heard).
Be aware of your thoughts and push the mute button on any judgments. Allow whatever comes up to arise and let it go as easily as it came. Thoughts themselves contain no real power, it is our attachment to the thoughts that impact us. The purpose here is to simply be present in the moment, no running, no distracting, no numbing - just you and your beautiful self. Do this 5 minute exercise each day for one week and see how you feel and what you find.
3) Challenge Your Thoughts
There is one surefire way to drain yourself of all energy and motivation and that is focusing on negative thoughts. Our brains, however, are wired for negativity and focusing on one negative thought can take us down the rabbit hole of emotions, effecting our mood, actions and eventually our outcomes. Being more aware of your thoughts and carefully choosing which ones you want to empower is the first step. Without awareness, there is no next step. Take for example, my delay in writing this blog post, due to of the fear that I may have nothing valuable to add to the topic. That one thought easily could have been enough to extinguish the whole project. With greater awareness, I was able to recognize that thought was not helpful, constructive or something I want to give any power to. I balanced out that “negative” thought with the fact that it’s important for me to share my insight and even though it may not be groundbreaking, it can still be helpful to my audience and a way to connect with likeminded people. This process disrupts the brain’s autopilot response of negativity and allows us to begin operating from a place of greater intention. One thing is for sure in life, we are going to be bumped and bruised from time to time, but we get to chose how we respond and that is where our power is found. Empower yourself by challenging your thoughts and carefully choosing which thoughts you’re bringing focus and attention to.
The loud, distracting world we live in isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, therefore, it’s up to us as individuals to bring presence and connection into our lives and recognize how deeply we need it. We are humans and we all struggle with this topic and getting back to the basics is a powerful way to take control of the controllable. It is my sincere hope this blog post brings you both comfort and actionable step you can begin to take right now in order to reconnect, because you deserve it!
Deep breath in and out,
Jill
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As a Life Coach, I work with fun, motivated, inspired people who long for something more and are ready to take action with effective ways to go from struggle to thriving.
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