10 Tips to Become more Present

Are you always waiting for the weekend to start to have fun? Are you constantly worrying about the future or dwelling on past experiences? If so, you are not living in the present moment.
Many of us today are mostly focused upon our futures. We are hustling to get where we want, studying and working hard to reach our goals so we can achieve our dream life in the future.

Working towards your goals is really positive for sure! But the feeling of having to be productive all the time can be very tiring and can also keep you from experiencing life in the present moment. We tend to get so busy with working and thinking about our future that we forget to experience all the beautiful things that are happening right now. There is already so much to enjoy and be grateful for!

Being so focused on the future all the time to create happiness later is kind of ironic. Because, the past doesn’t exist and neither does the future. Time is simply a human concept. The only time that exists is NOW, and both past and future only exists in our minds.

To find happiness you must learn to live in the present. So instead of working your *ss of all the time and thinking you’ll create happiness in the future if you just keep hustling and working 24/7, stop for one second and think… Are you missing out of happiness you could experience right now?

Here’s a list of 10 things you could do right now to become more present!

10 Tips to become more Present

1. Breathe

Do you ever stop and think about how you are breathing? Many of us are actually breathing quite shallow, which is not that good for our health. Deep breathing on the other hand activates the parasympathetic nervous system which tells your body to slow down. 

To really focus on deep breathing can therefor really ground you in the present moment and also comes with a lot of other benefits, like decreasing stress in the body. So take a few deep breaths to really feel and be in the present moment.

2. Practice Mindfulness

To be mindful is being fully present in the moment. So what can be a better tip to become more present than to start with a mindfulness practice? There are several options you can choose from. You could do Yoga, body scans, breathing exercises , walking or meditation.

Personally I really love to meditate in the morning. Allow yourself to just be for 10-20 minutes before starting the day and before you start with crossing the things of your to-do list. While meditating you are training to focus on the present moment without judgement, which can be really difficult. And that is why we should practice more to become better at it! 

3. Forgive

Don’t hold on to hard feelings. Replaying old arguments in your head or thinking about what others did to you will not give you anything (except for maybe a bad mood). Do yourself a favor and forgive. This also includes forgiving yourself for past mistakes. Accept that it has happened, learn from it and move on. Forgiveness leads to less dwelling on the past and on what could have been, so you can be more focused on the present!

4. Acceptance

How can we be present if we do not want to feel what we are feeling right now? The answer is more easily said than done : By accepting the situation exactly as it is.
Regardless of what you feel, allow yourself to feel it. Be with it. Both the bad and the good feelings. Many of us tend to look for distractions whenever we are having a ”bad” feeling so we do not have to think about it or feel it. But often when there are no distractions available any longer(often when we go to bed) these thoughts and feelings come back and haunts us. That is because we have not accepted and acknowledged those feelings when they happened. Trying to suppress and resist them is only a band-aid solution: It helps for a short while against the problem, but doesn’t address the root cause.

Accepting the moment exactly as it is often already eases the whole moment. Remember that nothing lasts forever. The bad feeling is going to pass and change to something better, and not fighting it but allowing it just to be can be beautiful and help you to move on and be present.

5. Don’t dwell on the past

Sometimes I catch myself thinking of past argument, awkward situations or past mistakes and wonder about how things would have been if I had chosen to act different or would have said something different. Thinking about this will re trigger negative emotions like guilt, anger, shame or sadness.

Ruminating about past negative experiences will not change anything and will only leave you in a bad mood. Your brain does not even understand the difference from experiencing negative emotions and thinking about negative emotions! So learn to let go and be mindful. Choose to learn from your mistakes so you can be fully present in the moment and do better in the future!

6. Don’t worry about the future

Worrying about the future can really stress you out! Stressing about things that haven’t even happened yet does not make anybody happy and also keeps you from enjoying things in the present moment. The future is an illusion created by your imagination! And the worst thing you can do is imagining everything going wrong. 

Try to slow down that racing mind that thinks about all that could possibly go wrong. Instead, nourish your mind with healthy thoughts and think about what could go right. 
Stop worrying about the things that may never come. Enjoy the present moment as it is. 

7. Catch yourself on autopilot mode

Do you know the things you can do without even thinking about doing them? That is when you are on autopilot mode. 
Autopilot mode is an automatic, fast, and unconscious way of thinking. This is a normal thing that humans have developed to prevent our brains from overloading. But, that same mechanism that is supposed to protect you can disengaging you from really living life!

When you live on autopilot mode you are not living life but letting life happen to you. To prevent this from happening you have to be mindful. Pause and become aware of what you are experiencing right now. How are you feeling? Are you enjoying what you are doing? Come out of the autopilot mode and become aware of the present moment. 

8. Spend time in nature

Nature is like fuel for the soul. There are so many wonderful benefits of spending time in nature! For instance, studies prove that spending time in nature makes us feel more alive.
Spending time in nature also reduces stress, stimulates creativity and makes us happier! If that isn’t enough, exposure to nature is also linked with a higher sense of well-being and having more energy. 

Feeling good will also make you enjoy your life more.  That in turn will lead to that you actually want to be present and experience your life to the fullest. So go outside and spend time in nature to become happier and more present!

9. Put that phone down!

I am sorry, but it is true. Staring at your phone scrolling through Instagram, watching videos or playing games is the opposite of being in the present moment. Life is literally passing by while you are glaring at that screen! Try to put that phone down more often to get more into the present moment.
A good time to put away your phone is when you are eating, before going to sleep and especially when you are socializing with other people!

10. Do one thing at the time

Also called mono tasking! Does that even exist today? We often do several things at once: eating while looking at the TV or scrolling through our phone, walking or cooking while listening to  podcasts. To become more present, simply do one thing at the time and pay attention to what you are doing. 
Did you know that doing one thing at the time even makes you more productive than doing several things at once? That’s because you aren’t dividing or shifting your attention and energy. Instead you really focus and use all your energy on that one specific thing you are doing, finish it faster and then move on to the next one!

That were my 10 tips on how to become more present!
If you liked this post and felt it provided you with some value, I would be really happy if you gave it a share <3 

/By Bo Smit