Have you ever just allowed yourself to be? Be in the moment, be here, be present? I find myself often living in the past and planning for the future. What could I have differently yesterday to make today a better day? What is tomorrow going to look like? I rarely take time to just soak in the day and relax. Don't misinterpret that as not taking time for me, because I do take time for me. But even in those moments I don't allow myself to just be. My mind is racing with a million thoughts of what to do, where to go, and how to get there. I don't spend time just focusing on today and enjoying every moment in that moment. Instead, I enjoy that moment tomorrow when I'm thinking about yesterday.
In session today my counselor tried this technique on me. He gave me a piece of candy, a mint, and asked me to put it in my mouth. He asked me to focus on that piece of candy in my mouth. What was my tongue tasting, could I feel the soothing sensation as the minty taste went down my throat, what could I smell as I breathed in and out, and how did I feel after that moment of focusing on the here and now. How did I feel? I felt alive, I felt aware, I felt focused, and I felt present. It was such a simple technique and yet the effects were clear. He encouraged me to spend five minutes a day just focusing on being present. I am not to think about what happened yesterday, hope for tomorrow, or plan for the future. I am simply to be in the moment. Calm, balanced, aware, present. Do you think you can do the same?
I know for a FACT I could not/can not do that. You just described me to a T! I also cannot believe I din't know you had this..I guess I have some reading to do :-)
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