Living in the present

Regardless of our past experiences, we all have the ability to be living in the present. With time, effort, and practice, we can make the most of each day to live our best lives.

 

These practices help us leave the past behind and find ourselves living in the present:

Accept the past

Events have already happened. We can’t undo them. We can’t wish them away – that’s just physics! Now is the best time to acknowledge them, learn whatever can be learned from them and apply that learning to the present. Then, we become ready, bit by bit, to let go of the negative feelings, images, thoughts, and emotions – the baggage – associated with past events. Unburdened, we can live fully in the present.

Recognise that your past doesn’t need to define you

Thinking that the future will automatically be the same as the past is a common limiting belief which we can challenge. Situations themselves do not define us – how we choose to respond to them does. As we develop our sense of agency – of taking control of our lives – so our choices grow. And life shifts from responding to events to implementing our choices.

Let go

Sometimes easier said than done but entirely do-able. I guide most of my clients through a ‘letting go’ process which they can use whenever they wish thereafter. Allied with a growing sense of agency, this provides a powerful combination analogous to turbo-charging our engine at the same time as emptying out all the clutter we’ve been driving around.

Take a look at your present life

Take stock of your health, family, relationships, home, personal development, career, leisure etc (in terms of whatever these things mean to you) to get a starting point. What key decisions have I made that got me here? What key decisions will I make, now?

Create the life you want

For each of these areas, decide how you would prefer them to be. This can be done intuitively in trance or analytically – or a combination of both.

Immerse yourself in each moment

You’ve probably experienced the frustration and irritation of being involved in one activity while you’re actually thinking about something else. Develop the habit of asking yourself what is the most valuable thing you could be doing right now to progress towards one of your visions for the future.

Check in with your emotions

Reflect on how you feel. Are you energised? Is your mood melancholy? How do you feel about what you’re doing right now? Explore what you are learning from your reflections.

When you’re living in the present, doing what is most valuable to you, reflecting and learning, you will be on your way to living your best life.

The above – and a whole lot more – are covered in Permas’ flagship program: Hypnotherapy for Personal Development. As a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist I am a member of  Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy

 

I have written extensively about this in a comprehensive case study which you can get for free here

And you can find more quick-read articles covering a wide range of wellbeing subjects here: