5 Tips: How to Return to the Present Moment and find Joy

Hey there good lookin! How you doin? I’m praying all is well in your world today!  I am in utter disbelief and slight (or major) denial that my baby girl is now a 4th grader as of today. I can’t. Seriously she just had diapers on like last month it feels like.  As I walked her into school this morning my head started to spiral.  All I could think is, ‘Have I been doing a good job at this mom thing, is my baby prepared for the mean girl phase that is inevitably approaching, am I empowering her enough?’  On and on it went, I didn’t sign up for that roller coaster ride in my mind there in the elementary school hallway, I did fully embark on it when it came rolling through though.

If we’re not careful and well aware of the thoughts that we are indulging in we can be swept away by self doubt, anxiety and even self sabotage.  That’s exactly why I decided to write this post today on returning to the present moment.  Not only do we lose precious time in the here and now when we dwell on the past or get anxious about the future but we also rob ourselves of true joy and happiness.  Those emotions are only possible when we are fully engaged right here, right now.  They are absolutely not going to come to us when we’re stuck in our heads thinking back or forward, none of that actually exists.  Only Now.  I’ve come up with 5 tips on how to return to the present moment, I know mama here surely needed this reminder this morning!

1-Go for a walk.  Get outside, turn your phone on airplane mode or do not disturb. Consciously use your senses.  As you walk down the street, trail or path what do you see?  Is it green lush grass, is it a blue bird, is it street signs or kids playing? Be present, witness and take note in your mind of everything you see along your walk.  What do you smell?  (Hopefully its not animal poo or anything gross like that).   What do you hear? Do you hear birds singing a beautiful bird song, do you hear cars?  How does the air feel?  Is it thick and humid, is it crispy and chilly, is it windy?  Maintain your mindful awareness throughout the entirety of your walk and gently keep coming back to your senses when your mind starts to wonder and it certainly will, that’s ok.

2-Play a board game.  When was the last time you did that? They can be really fun! If you don’t have someone to play with its cool, put together a puzzle. If you don’t have a puzzle or puzzles aren’t your jam, play cards.  Solitaire is a game you can play by yourself and it is something that can help bring you back to the present moment and out of your head.  The goal here is to pick something that does not allow you to multi-task. You must focus only on what is right in front of you.  This will make it very difficult for your head to take you on a roller coaster ride that you are not down with today!

3-My favorite-meditate.  Meditation has so many amazing, incredible benefits and most importantly it helps you live more fully in the present moment vs. staying stuck in the past with feelings like shame, guilt or regret.  It helps you to move more towards loving and accepting your whole self exactly as you are.  You can meditate with some relaxing music at home or out in nature by yourself simply by being still with your eyes closed for a certain period of time or you can do a guided meditation.  I’ll share with you a few awesome apps I have used that has totally changed my meditation game for the best!  The app called Calm is great!  They have some free meditation options or you can pay a subscription fee and unlock a whole lot of awesomeness!  The app called 1 Giant Mind is a free app and it is great for beginners!  You can meditate anywhere from 10 minutes all the way up to 30 minutes, your choice.  Also there is an app called breethe it’s awesome!  They have tons and tons of meditations, some you can do that helps you sleep, some helps you focus, some that help you with specific goals.  You can’t go wrong meditating in order to return to the present moment.

4-Write or read.  Some people find it very therapeutic to write down their thoughts and emotions in order to get it out onto the paper and out of their head.  Sometimes that can be all it takes to move past something that was holding you hostage in your head in order to return back to the now.  If that’s not how you roll, cool, try reading.  Usually reading in general helps you to focus on the words vs. focusing on your thoughts.  Specifically if you read something with intrigue, mystery or drama!  You’ll be wondering what’s next in the book instead of worrying what’s next in your life!

5-Write a gratitude list.  When you sit down and really write out all of the things that you
have in your life to be grateful for it can be hella humbling.  Believe me, I know.  If I am in a shitty mood for no good reason I’ve done this before and it can sometimes be almost jarring.  I have soooo much to be grateful for, a beautiful home, a healthy daughter, a loving husband, a car that runs, a cute chiahuahua and a warm bed to sleep in!  We can all count our blessings every once and a while to bring things in life back to focus and back to appreciating the here and now.

I hope that this post finds you doing well today and I really hope that you can take something away from this and enjoy your day to the absolute fullest!  I know for me this post was totally ny therapy for the day!  I feel so much more present and joyous just having shared this with you and using this as a reminder for myself!  So instead of spiraling out today about what kind of mama I am and freaking out at how big my girl is getting I will enjoy her.  I will be present with her.
So remember in your core that you are made of light and love!  The world is ready and waiting for you to shine your brightness onto the rest of us!  Have a great day friends! MUAH!!!