Struggling to Stay Present?

A common question I get is “how do I stay present throughout the day?”

Usually it’s followed up with some version of the following: Things feel hard, stressful, it’s always noisy, I have major monkey mind (restless, confused, indecisive), and I just get so caught up in all the things that I don’t know how to come back to a place of calm and peace. HELP!!

Enter meditation…

My first suggestion is if you have just a few minutes when these feelings come up, just stop and pause… taking 3-5 deep breaths. This creates a pause between you and the “things” taking over. A few deep breaths can tell the brain that you are safe and okay and that there is nothing to worry about which then helps you move out of panic and stress. Then you are able to evaluate what’s happening and how you can manage it in a thoughtful way instead of out of fear and overwhelm.

The second suggestion is if you have longer 5-10 minutes, to meditate. This can be done entirely on your own or with the help of an app (if you need ideas, send me a DM) or even YouTube very easily. Generally speaking, you can meditate anywhere as long as you are safe and comfortable. Meditation can help calm the mind and clear space to evaluate what’s happening and why you are feeling stressed. You may even find that just taking this time is enough to forget completely about what was wearing you down.

Finally, I will say this, staying present throughout the day takes practice. That is what mindfulness is, what meditation is, a practice of slowing down to notice your surroundings, your feelings/emotions, calming the body so you can take your time in a way that’s intentional.

Do you struggle staying present? Let's chat!