Monday Mindset
In Gratitude of the Present Moment
Happy Monday, my friend. This one’s coming in just under the wire (in my time zone, at least).
I hope, no matter what you’re experiencing these days, that you are finding moments of reprieve in glimmers and shards of goodness, beauty, and peace.
This week, we’re continuing with the theme of gratitude by exploring the focus:
In Gratitude of the Present Moment
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.”
— Melody Beattie
In a world where we’re often living in our heads — our attention focused on our phones, trying to balance the never-ending to-do list, or thinking about what we could have done differently in that awkward encounter at the grocery store — it is imperative that we learn to direct our attention back to the present moment.
We are more than just minds in bodies. When we sink into the present, we embody our experience and connect to where we are in this moment in time.
Try it now.
Direct your focus to where you are. Take a deep breath, feeling how it fills your lungs and hearing how it sounds as the air leaves your body on an exhale.
Look up and around. What do you see?
What colors and textures do you notice?
Where is the light, and what is it touching? Where do shadows appear?
Take a breath.
Now listen. What sounds do you hear?
How close or far are they?
What are the sources of these sounds?
Take a breath.
Notice the sensation of touch. What part of your body is being held — by ground, chair, or other surface?
What does that contact feel like?
Take a breath.
Now tune into your body for a quick scan. Starting at the top of your head and slowly scanning down toward your feet, are there any sensations that you notice?
Any tension? Pain? Tingling?
Take a breath.
If you like, you could continue this with the senses of smell and taste.
Being connected to our bodies helps us to inhabit the present more fully. What did this exercise do for you?
I lived a lot of my younger life constantly planning for the future. I had moments of enjoying the life I had, but honestly, I felt like I was waiting for my life to begin. As a young adult, that meant planning for college, and then later, where I would spend my overseas internship junior year. After graduation, I dreamed about where I could move and how I could get there. I won’t bore you, but the trend continued.
Don’t get me wrong — there’s nothing wrong with a goal to work toward. But I was using all that planning (in some ways, at least) as a coping mechanism to escape where I was. Where I wanted to be was often somewhere other than where I was at the time. Embracing the present felt like giving up.
When I finally surrendered to living in the fullness of where I was, life got so much simpler. It wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was quiet, calm, and I found joy in simple things I had overlooked before.
On the other side of the spectrum, grief pulled me into the past. For a long while, mornings were the hardest. Waking up from that netherworld of slumber to realize that my dad was gone — that it wasn’t a bad dream — was like living a nightmare. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. This is part of grief. It’s unavoidable, but oh, the pain.
When the grief felt soul-crushing and I just didn’t know how to pull myself back to the present, I listened to guided meditations. Having someone else direct me through a few minutes of mindful presence helped calm my aching heart and racing mind. The trauma of loss is no small thing, and I couldn’t find much to be thankful for in the throes of grief. But my friends, support system, and those guided meditations, they helped me be present in the pain and also not drown in it.
This isn’t so light-hearted, is it? But it’s real. When we connect to the present moment, we’re not saying it’s the best moment ever. We simply become aware. Notice.
What is here? What pulls at my curiosity? What feels light? What feels neutral? What do I notice now, here in this space and in this moment? Our lives are made up of these moments.
We like to define ourselves by our achievements when we describe ourselves. But what of the moments we don’t dare list on our resumes?
The:
I took a nap in the middle of the day and didn’t feel guilty about it moment.
Or, I stayed in bed most of Saturday and watched movies.
Or, I saw a sunset and chased it for as long as I could.
These are just scratching the surface. More have to do with our relationships and what we’re willing to do to connect. The things we sacrifice to make sure our children and partners feel supported and seen. The errands we run for our elderly neighbors. Checking in with a friend when they come to mind because we believe in the power of right timing.
When we connect to the present moment, we can let go of the need for anything to be different, even if it lasts only in the moment. Can we find something, anything to be grateful for right now? It can be as simple as, I’m grateful for the warm blanket removing the chill from my legs.
As Melody Beattie said, “Gratitude…turns what we have into enough.” And, chances are in this very moment, what we have is enough.
When you tune into this moment, what is one tangible thing you’re grateful for?
Take a few minutes each day this week to really tune into the moment. Notice your surroundings. Honor the present and give gratitude. If you need ideas for physical cues that can help you do this, here are a few:
Go on a walk and listen for natural sounds. What do you hear? (You could also pick a color and look for it in the world around you.)
Put your phone down when someone is talking to you. Look them in the eyes, listen intently, and ask a follow-up question. (I know this one is obvious, but also…some of us need this reminder.)
After you wash your face, look in the mirror. Don’t judge what you see, but get curious. What do you notice when you’re not rushing or looking for flaws?
Whatever you decide to do, I hope you’ll be more in your body, more in your experience, and more aware of the enoughness of the moment.
For paid subscribers, I’ll see you right here on Wednesday. Everyone else, be gracious with yourself this week, okay? The world can be harsh, but you deserve softness.
~Sara