How often do you check in with yourself to notice if you’re present?
And, when you do, what helps you collect into the present moment?
I used to spend a lot of my time ahead of myself, trying to control the future…
…I did this mostly unconsciously, by constantly planning and re-planning.
I was always trying to stay one step ahead…so I could feel safe… and not have any surprises.
If you’ve been connected here with me for a while, you’ll know that I had a lot of experiences growing up that primed my nervous system to be on high alert.
Ironically, this habit of staying ahead of myself never actually helped me feel safe…
… In fact, it does the opposite.
The feeling of safety can only exist now.
In the present.
The things we want to experience can only exist in the present.
And, by never being in the present, I was depriving myself of what I most desired.
Thankfully, with some loving attention on this pattern, the intensity of this has calmed down for me…
…and I find it much easier to notice if I’m overly ahead of myself, and to gently draw my awareness back to the moment.
With this in mind, I invite you to take a few deep breaths now.
And let them bring your awareness into the present.
With each exhale, release tension and holding from your system…
And remind yourself that in this moment, this exact moment, you are safe.
Remind yourself:
You are already here
There is nowhere to else to get to
Everything is here now, in the present
“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵…𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸”
~Thich Nhat Hanh
As a reminder for yourself, I invite you to consider…
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁? Maybe even make yourself a list you can use as a reference.
Some things that help me be present are:
Meditation, breathing, movement, nature, journaling, tapping, grounding…
How about you?
I’ve found that the more you can gently bring yourself back to presence, the more of the things you most deeply desire to experience…
…. like ease, calm, safety, love, joy, inspiration…
… can arise and take root. 💗
Sending love.
If you enjoyed this post, here is a pocket-sized version on Instagram:
And here’s a grounding and centering meditation that I always find helps me be present.
And, if you’d like consistent support to unravel and release the impact of past experiences so you can settle into accepting the gifts of the present moment more effortlessly and more often, contact me to learn about current options for working together one-on-one. 💗
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