BE MINDFUL
Updated: Oct 21, 2021
"Mastering the power of being present in life has the power to teach and train us to guard our minds."
~Jeanice Sherai
As a working professional and business owner, I know all too well, the difficulty of remaining present in life. There are so many areas that can take our focus or should I say "snatch" our focus directly from the moments right in front of us.
I must continuously make an effort to remind myself often that these present moments are truly and indeed precious moments. Moments that once are gone, I will never ever get back. They are just that precious.
Do you have that struggle as well?
It's like life has so many facets to it and so many distractions, that's it's hard to stay focused on what's going on right in front of us. Life is happening, social media news is raving, people are texting, work is demanding, business is booming or not booming and you want to understand why, and the list goes on (and on).
I bet, even right now as you are reading this blog, you are already experiencing the struggle of staying present and continuing to read with no distractions.
Trust me, I get it.
I understand the struggle of truly taking time to recognize the blessing of the moment right in front of me and intentionally practicing not being pulled away from this moment all too well.
Teaching and training others to do the work that will allow them to have whole minds and present moments is my passion because it's also my very present struggle.
Through my decision to consistently train myself in this area, I've learned that although it's not an easy work, it's a work that's worth it. Your mind, body, and soul deserves it.
The lessons and practices of learning to be present and whole produce benefits that studies have shown to have the power to impact you for a lifetime.
That is if you're like me and you desire to live a long, healthy life filled with joy, happiness, and a sound mind. If you desire present day living. If you desire to teach yourself to intentionally utilize helpful tools to fight against anxiety and recognize and attack the early signs of depression. The practice of being whole and present is what you need.
The work to live a whole and healthy life, has to start today.
"Becoming whole and being present is a lifelong commitment and process. It's a journey of practice and intention that we must be committed to practicing every day. The work is hard, but the benefits and rewards are great."
~ Jeanice Sherai
One technique that I began to study and include in my daily practice of being whole and present, is mindfulness. Psychology Today defines mindfulness as a state of active, open attention to the present. Mindfulness has been proven to lower stress levels, fight against feelings of anxiety, and attacks of depression. It takes your focus from past issues, to what is happening right now in your present moment.
I use this technique often during meditation, but I also practice this a lot while driving. It keeps me from being distracted by my phone and trains me instead to be focused on my surroundings.
I take in the beauty, the changes, the cars, the signs, and everything else that I am blessed to see as I am driving. I take time to thank God for the ability to see the beautiful things that are all around me in that moment.
This practice has taken me out of my feelings and into the true blessing of what God has given me, and that blessing is called life. It also has helped me to acknowledge what I am feeling and assess whether what I am feeling is based on facts or lies.
I've learned that it is completely okay for us to acknowledge and process our feelings but we cannot choose to continuously live in those moments and in that place. Once the processing is done, we too must be done. As hard as it seems, we have to continuously make the choice to keep living and keep going.
Life is ahead of you, not behind.
We tend to stress and worry when our desires for a situation are not what's currently being replicated in our life or when we desire things to turn out the way we want them to instead of the way that God has already written for it to occur in our life.
We must all master the practice of letting go and truly trusting God. We must learn the power of mindfulness in our day to help us fight against worry and control issues that lead to stress and anxiety.
"We can't change tomorrow. We can't rewrite yesterday, but we can make the decision to trust God.
~Jeanice Sherai
Being mindful of what God has done today, releasing what happened yesterday, and trusting Him with our tomorrow is the loudest way we can all say to God, "I Trust YOU."
Mindfulness Activity
Drive, Walk, or Work out in Silence
Pay attention first to what you are feeling.
What are your emotions?
Why are they there?
Are they attached to a future that you have no control of?
Are they based on something that happened in your past?
Address them, understand why they are there, and then pray surrendering them to God.
Then, look all around you.
Speak out loud what you see.
Keep looking, keep being present.
Thank God for the things He's blessing you to see in your present moment.