Living in the Moment

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One of the hardest concepts for my clients to integrate into their daily thought process is the idea of living in the moment.  What does it actually mean to live in the moment? Does it mean that you shouldn’t make future plans or only live from day to day? Should you never worry about anything that is important to you? No, that is not the meaning of living in the moment. It means that you need to focus on the small moments or events in your life that you might  not ordinarily notice and not over think areas over which you have no control.  For example, having lunch with a good friend or merely having a meaningful conversation with someone you truly care about are moments in your life that  need to take on more significance.  Even reading a good book or enjoying a walk on a nice day are happenings that can take on more meaning.  And if we spend all our time worrying about every area of our life, then we miss out on enjoying things that are happening in the moment. Of course we get concerned about getting the job we applied for or our children doing well on his or her next test or SATs. But we have to stop obsessing or ruminating about things over which we have no control. We try our best and that is all we can do.  If we only pursue  the “big” moments in life such as watching your child attend the first day of school or getting married or having a baby or getting into the college of his or her choice, then you are missing out on the small miracles of life.  Living in the moment means you shouldn’t take small things for granted and should treasure aspects of your life that you normally don’t give great value.  Living in the moment isn’t an easy philosophy to adopt and takes a great deal of work to incorporate into your daily thought process.  But if you do try to live by this motto, you will probably feel less anxious, depressed, and find life more meaningful.