The Guide to Being More Present

Importance of Being Present.

Why is being present important?

Being present and practicing mindfulness has many physical health and emotional well-being benefits. Often times when you feel stressed, you may have a sense of not being in control and allowing your worrying thoughts to overwhelm you. By focusing on what is going on at a particular time, the other past or future stressors are subsided. This allows you to focus on your present mood, thoughts and actions.

Why is it difficult to be present?

Trying to be present may be difficult at times since everyday life is often quite busy. You may be managing personal circumstances, work issues or challenges, and relationships. Sometimes it is easy to do too much or not say no for fear of missing out. This idea causes you to feel more stressed and focus on what you think you need to do rather than enjoy what you are doing in the present. The anxiety or worry thinking of the “What if” also makes it challenging to focus on the present.

Strategies to be more present

Establishing enough time for yourself, work, family and friends is important in finding balance. There are times when it is beneficial to make plans, set goals and work toward your goals. Time set aside for having fun and enjoying yourself is also important. Living in the present and feeling like you are in the moment helps to decrease stress and improve mood.

Various techniques may guide you in being more present. You may prefer to try or start with a strategy that is most interesting to you. Implementing grounding techniques to focus on the here and now focuses on using all of your senses for a particular activity, even just sitting still.

Body Scan

Being in touch with your body during a body scan is another technique. A body scan is when you scan your body for tightness, tension or pain. People start the scan from the top of their head to the end of their toes or vice versa thinking about how their body feels in each location. Breathing deeply during the body scan may activate the parasympathetic nervous system to help you feel more relaxed. There are apps and videos that could guide you through this process if it is new to you.

Journaling

Journaling assists you in being more present by focusing on your current thoughts and feelings. During the process of journaling, you may experience less intrusive negative thoughts because you are taking note of what might be of concern one thought at a time. By writing down thoughts or concerns, you could use reframing to change any worries or negative thoughts to positive ones.

Setting goals

Setting daily goals is helpful in being present in order to guide your current focus and establish or maintain certain behaviors. Having goals also helps you to remain focused on what is important. By having goals, people increase productivity and have a higher level of motivation. Once the goals are accomplished, you would feel a sense of achievement.

Nature walks

Nature walks may provide an opportunity to being more present. Listening to sounds and paying attention to what you see helps you focus on what is currently happening. There are improvements in mood as well as physical health and cognitive benefits.

Sources

Benton, E. (2022, April 26). How to use journaling for stress relief. Psych Central. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://psychcentral.com/stress/how-to-begin-journaling-for-stress-relief

Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822

Cuncic, A. (2021, November 10). How do you live in the present? Verywell Mind. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-you-live-in-the-present-5204439

Healthdirect Australia. (n.d.). Goal setting. healthdirect. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/goal-setting

Ma, J., Williams, J. M., Morris, P. G., & Chan, S. W. Y. (2022). Effectiveness of a mindful nature walking intervention on sleep quality and mood in university students during covid-19: A randomised control study. EXPLORE. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2022.08.004

Nezlek, J. B., Holas, P., Rusanowska, M., & Krejtz, I. (2016). Being present in the moment: Event-level relationships between mindfulness and stress, positivity, and importance. Personality and Individual Differences, 93, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.11.031

PhD, B. G. B. (2021, November 23). How the body scan meditation practice reduces biological stress. Mindful. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.mindful.org/how-the-body-scan-meditation-practice-reduces-biological-stress/#:~:text=A%20daily%2020%2Dminute%20body,levels%2C%20according%20to%20new%20research.&text=We%20know%20that%20chronic%20stress,reduce%20biological%20and%20psychological%20stress.

Sawyer, K. B., Thoroughgood, C. N., Stillwell, E. E., Duffy, M. K., Scott, K. L., & Adair, E. A. (2022). Being present and thankful: A multi-study investigation of mindfulness, gratitude, and employee helping behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(2), 240–262. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000903

Schutte, N. S., & Malouff, J. M. (2011). Emotional intelligence mediates the relationship between mindfulness and subjective well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(7), 1116–1119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.01.037