Mental Presence

I often find myself scrolling just to scroll. Looking to escape the moment that I am in. Mental presence, otherwise known as Mindfulness is defined as “The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something”.  It’s a practice I always have to circle back around to. It is the type of goal that is easy to achieve, but leaves as fast as you gain it. I often find myself in a beautiful moment, but my face is stuck in my phone, or my mind is stuck worrying about something elsewhere.

            This past weekend I traveled to hot springs Arkansas for a 3-day camping trip. I was fairly nervous, just because I hadn’t done anything like this in a long time. One of the things that you’ll come to realize, is that I don’t get comfortable somewhere for a few days. Even when I’m in a place where I should be able to relax. So, jumping back to the camping trip, the first night was super chilly, and I slept really poorly. And that pattern would continue through the remainder of the trip. Through the next few days, there were things that were raising my anxiety.  There were moments where I found myself looking for a distraction. Looking for something to keep my brain occupied. But it was always something that I couldn’t control, or didn’t need to be thinking about in that moment. Things such as playing games on my computer, or catching the latest episode of my shows. Here I am in the middle of the woods with my beautiful GF, Dog, and a perfect sunset thinking about a cliffhanger in a tv show… silly right?  I find that in moments like this I have to rezone on where I’m at. I can center myself in the moment.

            This brings us to what I wanted to talk about. Realizing that you aren’t mentally present in those moments is the first step before you can actually pull yourself back into reality.  Using things around you as anchors is something I’ve found to be effective.  If you are sitting on a park bench, focus on your breathing. What do you smell? What does the air taste like. How do your feet feel in your shoes? Or your body touching the bench? These are anchors to the moment that you can use to reel your mind back to the moment. existing where you are at and not worrying about anything else is the goal. Seeing its beauty and the purity of each moment is one of the most amazing things you can feel.  

Since I started trying this in my life it has helped me lower my anxiety, be more present, engaged, focused, and happy. I feel like I’m no longer wasting my moments. I encourage you to apply these tricks in your life to really start taking your time back.