How to Live in the Present Moment, in 7 Psychological Keys

One of the principles of Gestalt therapy and meditation practice is the idea of ​​living in the present moment. For some people, this pattern of life serves as a way of experience life in an authentic sense at the same time as not falling into unfounded worries.

However, theory is one thing and practice is another. ¿ How do you do this by living in the present? And what does it mean? In the following lines we will try to answer these questions.

What does it mean to dwell in the now?

In short, living in the present moment means interpreting all our experiences as part of a set of unique sensations, which only exist as such in the here and now.

That means, for example, not holding the belief that what we experience are more or less perfect copies of previous moments or what are previews of what we will experience in the future

That way, you will not fall into the trap of believing that we owe our entire lives to our memories and what we expect from the times to come (regardless of whether the expectations are good or bad), and We will appreciate what is happening to us as it is in the present moment

7 keys to living in the present

From here we will see some basic guidelines to start incorporating this philosophy of life into our daily lives. Are you ready to start this journey?

1. Ending rumination

Psychological rumination is what happens when what worries us or causes us stress, it attracts all our attention and our thoughts.

Basically, these are unpleasant memories (regardless of whether they are based on real experiences or ideas) that become something that everything we do or perceive ends up referring to

To end rumination, it is recommended, among other things, to find moments to rest and, especially, dedicate them to walk through natural environments For more information you can consult this article:

2. The world of mindfulness

Meditation does not make us leave our mind blank (that is impossible), but it helps us to shift our attention away from interpretations of reality based on the past and future

Mindfulness is a well-studied and easy-to-practice form of meditation that has also proven to be effective in preventing relapses into depression. You can learn more about its principles and practice in this article.

3. Learn relaxation exercises

Meditation is not the only way to disconnect; There are also many relaxation exercises that focus on relaxing the muscles and accompanying a type of slow breathing that uses the capacity of the lungs to the maximum.

These techniques help us cut through the intrusive thoughts linked to the past

4. Rationally judge your expectations and goals

A good way to lighten burdens and begin to appreciate more the experiences directly linked to the present is to evaluate one’s own objectives and responsibilities. It’s hard to live in the present when you have to work 11 hours a day

That is why the time invested in taking stock of one’s priorities in search of greater well-being will be time well spent.

5. Learn to manage self-esteem

We must make self-image and self-esteem a tool to know ourselves faithfully, not something that enslaves us and makes us feel bad for not complying with the expectations we have imposed on ourselves

If everything we do is done with an eye toward whether it brings us closer or further away from the “ideal self,” we will be wasting many opportunities to soak up the genuineness of each experience simply because our attention will have become hooked on an ideal that only It exists because we have created it.

6. Do sports

Few activities make us focus more on the present like physical sports Since these types of exercises require effort and concentration on what is happening, it works very well to “disengage” our attention from worries.

But, in addition, playing sports causes our body to secrete a greater amount of endorphins, thanks to which a feeling of well-being and relief invades us.

7. Soak up existentialist philosophy

Existentialists defend the idea that life only has the goals and meaning that we want to give it, and that idea is fundamental for manage all the expectations that we notice do us more harm than good