“Suffering needs time; it cannot survive in the Now.” – Eckhart Tolle
When we are fully present in the moment, problems cease to exist. Our problems are created when we feel angry or remorseful about the past, or fearful about the future.
In this present moment, there is nothing you need to do. There is nowhere you need to go.
If there is something you need to do, or somewhere you need to go, you can choose to go and do. You can then be fully present to that one thing you are doing.
“Multitasking” often leads to mistakes, miscommunication, and feeling overwhelmed. You may have a long to-do list, but you can cross off only one item at a time. Be fully present to each item as you complete it, and you will not have to fix as many errors later.
As we try to be in the present moment, we often notice our minds wandering back to what happened earlier in the day, or what will happen tomorrow. This is normal and it happens to everyone. So when we notice it happening, we gently re-direct our attention to the now, over and over again.
And in the now, we practice acceptance of what is. If you are having neck pains, pay attention to those sensations. If your fingers and toes are cold, notice. With the objectivity and emotional distance of a scientist, you might think, isn’t that interesting?
You might notice feelings of resistance to being in the present moment, especially if you perceive it as one in which you are suffering. We all spend so much time trying to escape our suffering through distractions, like phones, T.V., junk food, alcohol and drugs. But suffering does not disappear, no matter how much we try to avoid it. In fact, it may intensify the longer it is avoided. So by allowing ourselves to experience suffering in real time, to face it, we free ourselves.
I wish you a mindful Monday.
-Rebecca