The Pull Between Past, Present & Future

There‘s a lot of talk about mindfulness these days. Staying in the moment and being present with what’s going on right now is a valuable practice. It helps you from getting stuck in the past or the future. Either place is great to visit but not to stay in.

When you are primarily focused in the past, there isn’t the space to allow something new to grow. This mainly comes in two forms.

Chronic nostalgia, a frequent longing for days gone by because they were somehow better. Or the shoulda — coulda train, a constant negative critique of what you should or could have done better. Now nostalgia is something that wanders in for all of us from time to time. It’s a natural emotion. Assessing where you can grow and improve is desirable. But getting stuck there keeps you from actually living the life you have.

Looking ahead to the future is excellent to help set goals, grow, and plan, but when you stay there, you end up bypassing happiness in the present moment for some potential future state of being. This future scoping, where you’re stuck in the cycle of when X happens, then I’ll feel good, be happy, be satisfied.

Mindfulness reminds us to enjoy the present moment. Even stopping for a moment and checking in with what’s going on can help. Simple things like noticing a sound or smell that’s pleasant(or not), checking in with your body to see how it’s feeling(maybe relax those shoulders away from your ears), being aware of the flutter of excitement in your belly at a new opportunity, or tasting the coffee you’re sipping.

These things take only a few moments and ground you in the present moment where you can fully experience this life you’re living

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