Being Present In The Moments

Give yourself permission not to do all of the things

Not long ago we were forced to simplify and really savor the things we did have.  I’ve found that for many of us we have now gone back to the “busy” life.  This is great in many ways, but often takes us out of savoring the little moments.  See if you can give yourself permission to let go of some of the extras that aren’t as important to you to make room for more true enjoyment of the ones that are.

Think about what memories carry over for you and make those things a priority

When we left living at the beach, one of the things I missed most about the holidays was the Christmas lights.  Now that we are back, I made it a priority.  As it’s hard to get my daughter into driving around and looking at lights, even though she loves it, we made it a game.

We printed off a map of where we live and decided we would drive street by street to find the BEST lights and mark them on the map.  Then we can take my husband and son, once he’s home from college, on a tour of our favorites.

Whatever it is that you love, be intentional about including it.

Take a snapshot in your mind

Years back John Mayer wrote a song called “3x5’s” that has always been one of my favorites.  Some of the most impactful lyrics for me are: “Didn't have a camera by my side this time. Hoping I would see the world with both my eyes” and ”You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes.  It brought me back to life”

We, and I include myself, are so wired now to reach for our phones and take a picture of a moment.  Don’t get me wrong, pictures are incredible, but we often can miss actually experiencing a moment because our attention is more on getting a photo of it than truly experiencing it.

Close your eyes so you can see more

This is a phrase one of my teachers Max Strom often uses.  In closing your eyes during a special moment, you are able to tap into more than just the image.  You are able to get closer to feeling the fullness of a moment.

This is especially great to try when you are hugging someone special to you or surrounded by those you love.  Close your eyes for a few moments and allow yourself to tap into the full experience.  This can fill you in ways that often get brushed over by the images we see.

Pause with the positive

“Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive.” ~Rick Hanson

When your brain experiences something negative it remembers it.  It’s believed by scientists that his goes back to primordial times when the survival of our species was dependent on paying attention to the things that would kill you.  Scientists have also found that for a positive thought or experience to be remembered the same way, we have to pause with it for approximately 10-20 seconds.  

To make these experiences “stick” better in your brain, 

~notice the physical sensations of the experience

~allow yourself to feel the emotions that come up

~hear what there is to hear

~smell what there is to smell

~see the details you might not normally notice or close your eyes

The more of a full picture that you get, the more you will enjoy it and the more it sticks in your brain, so allow yourself to fully experience the moment.

Give yourself permission to not have things be perfect

We can often stress so much about the perfection of the holidays that we miss the actual moments. See where you can let go of the perfection and expectations, even just a little bit, to make room for more joy and magic.