Jump into JOY today!
People tend to live their lives in the past or future while running on auto pilot in today. How much time do you spend thinking about the past woulda, coulda and shoulda’s and “what if-ing” about the future, can have a significant impact on the quality of your life and your experience of living in the here and now.
Both ways of interacting with your world can cause you to miss out on joy in day-to-day life.
When you focus on living in the present, you give yourself, and others around you, the gift of fully experiencing happiness, joy and life, in each moment today.
5 Tips to Being Present
1) Notice if your thoughts are primarily focused on the past, or future. Where is your attention? Have you ever zoned out while driving on the freeway and notice that you are several exits up the road when you “come to?” You were not in the present moment. Noticing what you are thinking is half the battle.
2) Find effective ways to ground yourself throughout the day. Put down electronics at lunchtime and notice your food. Practice a five minute mindful exercise or just notice where your feet are!
3) Practice listening to what others are saying rather than preparing your response while they are still talking. Make a game out of repeating back what you just heard.
4) Keep a gratitude journal at night of things you are grateful for that happened during the day. When you start to do this, you will notice that your brain starts to look for the positives rather than the negatives of life. I talk about this in my book, “Down the Rabbit Hole & Back”.
5) Practice consciously making choices each day that align with your commitments, goals or dreams.
About Your Columnist
Elisabeth Caetano, MA is a featured columnist for Women Lead, the official blog of Connected Women of Influence. Elisabeth is a published author, speaker, professor and business owner of Navigate Changes as a licensed psychotherapist for more than 23 years. She has made appearances on KPBS radio, KUSI television, given numerous talks around San Diego at professional organizations & local businesses. She also volunteers for several local charities. Winner of Author of Influence 2020 award, her book on navigating life changes is available at DowntheRabbitHoleandBack.com or on any e-reader platform.
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