It’s so easy to get caught up in anything but the present moment. We are busier now more than ever with work, family, and life obligations. We tend to worry too much about the future, and live in the past. How can we break this cycle and learn how to live in the now?

What does it mean to live in the now and how can it benefit us? Let’s take a moment and explore 5 simple ways to take advantage of the present:

5 Simple Steps For Living in the Now

1. Practice Meditation Regularly

Meditating is the act, in simple terms, of just sitting with your thoughts. It is best to sit in a quiet, comfortable space for meditation.

You should try to clear your mind and focus on your breathing while in your meditation session.

While sitting in silence, take notice of where your mind wanders and try to bring yourself back to the present. Meditating is a sort of way to sort through your thoughts and help clean out your brain.

Even just sitting for a few minutes each day can greatly improve your health and headspace! Try meditating for just 5 minutes. Slowly add on more and more time with the more experience that you get.

2. Create a Routine and Goals to Stay in the Now

Mindlessly going through life can be an easy way to let life pass you by. We tend to get very distracted with either that past or future in our day to day lives.

If you set a routine for yourself and some goals, it can actually help you stay focused on each task at hand. Set goals for every area of your life including work, health, personal, social, financial, etc.

As for setting a routine, start simply by creating a basic morning and nighttime routine. You can start and end your day right with consistency.

This allows you to get the most out of what you are doing and shows us how to live now.

3. Do Not Avoid Situations Or Feelings That Need Attention

As human beings, if we feel uncomfortable feelings or are caught up in tough situations, it is easiest to tuck these issues away onto the back burner.

However, it is important that you work through your feelings and situations in the present moment.

Although this can be uncomfortable at times, you will see that you will be much more in tune with your body and surroundings to live life to it’s fullest.

4. Teach Yourself to Notice New Things

Have you ever wandered through your day to look back and not even remember what you ate for lunch? Life can get repetitive or busy and escape us sometimes.

Doing this frequently can really pull away from your ability to live in the now. Creating a habit to notice something new in your daily routine can help you to stay focused.

Whether you spot a new business on your drive to work or observe some critters crawling around out in your yard. Noticing these small details allows you to realize how beautiful and unique each day truly is.

5. Practice Being Grateful

Practicing gratitude is a powerful tool for living in the present. There is so much to be grateful for, whether that be friendship, family, or simply a roof over your head.

To help strengthen your gratitude abilities try keeping a gratitude journal. Make it a goal to look back on your day and list 3 things that you are grateful for.

This forces you to analyze what you did in your day and pick out 3 current things that make you grateful.

How will you begin living in the now? Share in the comments below: