Be Present: Learning to Live in the Moment

I promise I’m going to do my very very best to keep today’s post as lecture-like as possible (lol), but today I wanted to talk about something that’s been on my mind a lot these past few weeks. I mentioned the topic of being present in a blog post a few months back, and I got an overwhelming response from y’all, saying that you struggle with the same issue. It’s crazy how many of us get caught up in getting the perfect Insta, or spend forever arranging and rearranging our food as photogenic as possible for a Snapchat that will go away in 24 hours. That being said, today I want to talk about some steps that I’ve taken to practice enjoying life as it happens! I’m also super excited to hear what y’all have to say about this topic, so make sure to participate in the discussion down in the comments. 🙂

 A big part of this can be blamed on the fact that I’m a blogger, but in the past month or so I’ve realized how many things I miss when I’m so focused on capturing everything on camera & documenting every moment of my life. Let’s be honest for a second- how many of y’all spend 75% of a concert recording videos & taking selfies & posting on every social media outlet you have? Guilty. 🙋🏻 Last weekend, I had the chance to see a live band perform at The Rustic. I made the conscious decision to put my phone down & just forget about sharing every second of the night, and it turned out to be one of the best nights I’ve ever had. There’s just something about listening to live music that makes you feel carefree down to your core. When our eyes are glued to our phones 24/7, we end up missing so much going on around us. I mean, how many of y’all go out to dinner with friends and through most of the dinner, everyone looks like this?

So today I wanted to share a few tips that I’ve found helps me stay present & enjoying the moment while it lasts.

1.) Nobody said you can’t take your cute Insta- but take the picture and put your phone down. I used to play this game with a group of friends the summer before college, where at every gathering we would all have to put our phones faced down in the middle, and whoever picked up their phone first would have to pick up the bill. We always got a minute or so right when the food came out to take all the photos we wanted to, and then we all had to put them away. It’s simple: take your picture, then put it away- your Instagram photo can wait an hour to be posted!

Even as a blogger, I always try to stick with this tip. I feel pressured to be posting about every remotely yummy looking meal I have, but I’ve gotten it down to a science where I take photos right before we eat, and then I put my phone away until afterwards. The picture will still be there in an hour- enjoy your time with good company while it lasts!!

2.) Start small. We’re all so obsessed with multitasking nowadays- I’m totally guilty of this one (it drives Akash crazy!!) I always have a billion tabs open, and I’m always juggling 99 different tasks while also half-watching TV and somehow replying to texts on my phone too. I’ve started to pick a few tasks where I force myself to solely focus on that and nothing else. Start with baby steps, and you’ll eventually be able to pick up your phone only when necessary and leave it alone when not.

Being present isn’t just about the phone attachment issues we all seem to have (lol) it’s also about being able to focus on one item at a time, which leads to higher productivity in your everyday life too!

Photo: Pinterest

Another important thing to realize about being present is worrying about the future and what’s to come. Which leads me into my next point…

3.) Focus on what’s actually in front of you.

This one’s a biggie for me- I always find myself worrying about the bajillion possibilities & gajillion things I have to do each day. Let me tell ya- it’s exhausting. I’m sure a lot of y’all feel me on this one- when you worry about the 99 ways things could happen and all the things you have to do, it’s overwhelming! All you have to do is break it down, and take it step by step. There’s no reason to worry about things that could happen years from now- it’s not under your control. So live each day and think only of what’s happening now.

4.) Stop talking & listen.

Everyone’s guilty of this one- we’re always so focused on our reply in conversations, that a lot of the time we don’t focus on what the other person’s actually saying. Sometimes the easiest way to live in the moment is to just listen and reply with thought, rather than always wanting to move too fast. No reason to have a response locked and loaded- it’s lunch with a friend, not an interview!

5.) Do things that make you want to get off your phone!!!

I love the saying “surround yourself with people who make you forget to check your phone” because it’s so true! If you’re surrounding yourself with good energy & positivity, you won’t even think twice about checking your phone, because you’re too focused on having a good time with good company. If you focus on surrounding yourself with good people, you won’t have to spend so much time seeing what’s going on in other people’s lives on social media. Not only that, instead of hanging out with friends just sitting on the couch, get out and do something. Whether that be just taking a walk, or doing a fun activity. Find something that creates an actual experience- these are the moments you’ll remember.

So hopefully this post was somewhat helpful to at least one of you. I think we could all do a better job at staying present and slowing down from time to time in this crazy fast-paced generation! If you have any tips at all please share them below- I’m reading & replying to each and every one. 🙂 Have a great day!