Now Is Now
This simple phrase, repeated periodically throughout the day, can remind you to stay present.
Why do we need this reminder? Because so many of us forget to breathe, forget to pay attention to what is happening now — in this very moment.
Even if you’re under a lot of stress, if you stop for a minute and just exist in the moment you are in, you can find relief from that stress.
Try setting a reminder on your phone for a few times a day: “Now Is Now”. And then stop: Look at the sky. Breathe. Look at your dog, your child, your friend. Pay attention to how lucky you are to have food to eat, or clean water.
NOW IS NOW – IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE HAPPY
Stopping to appreciate life doesn’t mean that you have to be happy and calm all the time, just because you might have it good compared to some people in this world. And while it can be helpful when you’re upset to remind yourself that there are people who have it worse, there are also probably people who have it better than you do.
Now is Now doesn’t mean discounting your feelings of worry or distress. It just means that you recognize that all of the things you are worrying about right now are not actually happening at this moment.
True, they might happen later or tomorrow. Or they might have already happened. But Now is Now means that it is not tomorrow or yesterday, it is Now.
And right now those things are not happening.
Let me repeat: Right now, all the things that you’re worried about are not happening.
So just be in the now for a couple of minutes. It’s a good place to be.