I recently interviewed a psychologist on the concept of “mindfulness” and practicing it has made a big difference in how I approach my day and live each day.
Some immediate benefits of living in the moment, or practicing mindfulness include:
- Less stress
- Less anxiety
- Much higher focus
- Higher productivity
- Higher levels of happiness
In this post, I will highlight 3 tactics I use to live in the moment each day:
1. Don’t focus on the past or on the future
One of the major lessons I learned about mindfulness is not to focus on the past or the future. It sounds easy, but it’s extremely difficult to hone your focus on the present moment. The psychologist I interviewed, Carolina Raeburn, told me that thinking about the past can bring depression into our lives, and thinking about the future can bring about unnecessary anxiety.
So a great practice is to practice each day focusing exactly where you are early in the morning when you wake up. I personally like to take a walk each morning to focus on each step, to hear the noises around me, and to focus internally and in prayer.
2. Remove the Idea of Days
My second strategy that I personally use and that I’ve never heard anyone talk about is removing the concept of “days” in my mind. For some reason, we seem to associate days of the week with different levels of happiness, or at least I do. Fridays seem to be a happy day because it’s the last day of the work week. Mondays seem to be dreadful for many people because their weekend ended and they have so many days until the next break.
For me while I am walking, instead of thinking “today is Monday” I think “today is a NEW DAY“. This helps me think about the current moment only, and that all days can be equally enjoyable if we just reposition our mindset.
3. Be Thankful, Be Kind
My final strategy to live in each day is to be thankful for each and every thing we’ve been blessed with. Some days it seems hard to be thankful, but during my walk each morning, I take about 5 minutes to think about things I am thankful for. Some days the only thoughts of thankfulness I can muster up is “thank you God for the ability to walk”or “thank you God that I have a new day.”
Being kind to people also seems to bring about a mindset of being present. Being prepared to give in each moment, whether holding a door for someone or buying someone a coffee, can really make a difference in bringing your mind to the present.
Final Thoughts
During Covid-19, it’s been challenging for many people. Practicing the above 3 techniques have personally helped me over the years. While I am not a psychologist, I own a therapist marketing company that helps psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals connect with their target patients and grow their private practices, So I constantly am talking and picking these expert’s brains about tactics that I use for my own life.
Practice mindfulness, remove the concept of days, and being thankful/kind can make a big difference in your life for living in the present and having joy. I know it has made a big difference in my life and I wish the same for you!
My name is Anthony Bart, I’m the owner of BartX Digital, DentalX, and TherapistX. We help medical professionals like dentists, doctors, and psychologists grow their practices.