The Present Moment

One thing I feel like we’re losing as human beings is the ability to enjoy the present moment. Yes, people tell us all the time to enjoy the present moment, but how many times do we plug-in to social media, music, and really anything else on our phones? When was the last time you disconnected from the online world? I bet you’re having trouble remembering, because I certainly do.

Enjoying the present moment, in my opinion, is one way to enjoy a fulfilling life because you’re not constantly looking for things to entertain you or things to distract you.

For instance, I’ve been working on trying to work out without any music, not because I want to practice being more present, but I noticed that working out with music actually helps me focus less on the muscle-mind connection that you need to develop to really help grow a muscle (look it up if you don’t believe me). But, as a side effect, it’s helped me see that instead of really enjoying or being “in” a workout, I do my best to distract myself with music. I tell myself lies that music helps me have better workouts when in reality it’s actually holding me back from having better results but also helping me just enjoy the environment around me.

Today I had one of the best workouts I’ve had in a while and it’s because I just got totally tired of listening to music. Do you know how hard it is to find songs you enjoy nowadays? Finally, I got tired of the music I listened to and so I put my headphones down and put my phone in my pocket and gave it a try. This was with 30 minutes of stairmaster and 30 minutes of lifting, all done without music. Pretty proud of myself, not going to lie.Not only did I have a better workout, but I also enjoyed the natural sounds around me that I normally wouldn’t have even listened to or I would have made it seem like it wasn’t important. Everything around me was alive and I was alive and that was enough for me.

The reality is that we’re becoming more and more disconnected from the world and people around us and I truly believe that’s one of the reasons why there’s so many more mental health issues than there used to be. Our phones are powerful devices, but they’ve also become barriers to true connection to the world around us and to the people around us. The first thing I’d do if I were someone suffering from mental health issues would be to take a very extended break from my phone and to reconnect with nature. Just going for a walk has been one of the best cures for any difficult situation in my life. Honestly, you realize that your problems aren’t that bad and even if they are, you start to see them in a different light which may help you deal with them in a better way.

At the end of the day, I rather take the time to really BE in every experience in my life rather than find a way to escape it, because the more you do that, the more you will fully enjoy your life instead of waiting for that next text or email.

Trust me, the more time you spend away from your phone, the more fun even a moment just waiting for your next haircut will be. Of course, you gotta start small and work your way up. If you’re so used to doing something, it becomes habit and you don’t even realize you’re doing it anymore, but it all starts with awareness, then action. And the more you take that action, the more it’ll solidify itself in your brain. Your brain has tremendous capability to change itself if you want it to. It’s called neuroplasticity and I’ve read it’s even possible for older adults and even people who are in their 70s and 80s. I mean why not? Anything is possible if you truly put your mind to it.

Next time you’re at the gym or standing around in line, instead of pulling your phone out, try to really be in that moment and enjoy everything around you. Life may give you something to be grateful about or maybe you’ll just be grateful you’re alive. It’s worth it. Just see how may times you pull your phone out even though there’s nothing really going on in your phone. You just do it mindlessly.