Your Power is in Your Present
Often our thoughts pull us away from the present moment; we contemplate our past and consider our futures, helping us move forward with self- awareness and understanding. But how much thinking is too much?
You are the one who decides when thoughts are helpful or unhelpful. Unhelpful thoughts may sound like; ruminating - where you are looping over the same thought like a scratched CD-, mind reading or making bold assumptions about a situation or person, or when your thoughts are focused on shaming or criticising you.
Any of this sounding familiar? If so, you may be feeling out of your body and stuck in your own mind, spiralling into a time that doesn’t exist.
When we re-ground ourselves in our present we take back our power. We can see the issues and the blessings in front of us and we can work with what we've got. When we are spiralling into our minds we lose sense of reality and spend our time reacting to the situations that exist only in our minds.
By detaching yourself from thoughts and bringing your attention to the here and now, your present moment you remind your body and mind that you are SAFE. This is when you can start engaging in your present, engage in the life you have created, the one that exists in a reality you share with the people you love. If this is hard because you are unhappy with your reality it’s only once you acknowledge this by engaging with it that you can change it.
A few ways to ground yourself in your present include;
Deep breathing (I know you’ve heard this 1 million times but breathing communicates straight to your nervous system that you’re safe because if you were unsafe you wouldn’t be taking time to breathe)
Bring the focus to your 5 senses because they can ONLY interact with what exists in the here and now: name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel/ touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and one this you can taste
Pick a colour in your mind and name all the things around you that are that colour
Move your BODY: even with the feeling and the thoughts you still have power over your movements so move, twist, bend, stretch, wiggle, jiggle and jump! Remind yourself you have a body and your body exists only in your present
Your power exists in your present, so lean into it and make the choices you need to based on your values, your purpose and your passions.