Learning and loving the task of "being in the moment..."

I am at my niece’s home and helping out with work around her urban farm. Yesterday we planted onions, romaine lettuce, cleaned up the work area, and planted seedlings for new flowers that I was not familiar with. Pardon me if I am not using the proper farm language! Last night, I laid in bed and my body was sore. I began to think about how neat it is to grow food and flowers. What a sense of accomplishment that washed over me. I enjoyed the soreness knowing that I felt good in what we were doing. I have my little herb garden, and it has been so much fun. You know me, I began to ponder the idea of why I slept so good and why I felt a little bit of clarity for the moment. One idea that crossed my mind is how focused on the moment at hand we were at every given moment. My mind was not running wild. I remember how much fun carefully lifting up the soft little onion seedlings and placing them in their new home. The wind was not our friend, but the warm of the sun, made it bearable. As we completed one task, we moved on to the next, totally engrossed in the project at hand. The snipping of the beautiful flowers were so delightful. Carefully placing them in the containers and wrapping them for market was fun but exhausting. I was fascinated by the amount of details that I could recall. All the lady bugs, the soil, the hay that was covering the tulips...all of it kept my focus completely on the tasks.

Why is it so hard for me to not be in my mind while vacuuming, or driving? Do I need more practice? I have never been good at the meditation part of yoga. Each class starts with about five meditation and ends with it. I have been getting a little better but never quite feel comfortable. I have noticed that when I am doing something that is new or different, I tune in with my entire mind. Is that what they mean by “be in the moment”? You know me, I did a little bit of research this morning. What exactly does the mean? Here is what I found: Being in the present moment, or the “here and now,” or that we are aware and mindful of what is happening at this very moment. We are not distracted by ruminations on the past or worries about the future but centered in the here and now. All of our attention is focused on the present moment (Thum, 2008). In other words, we do not need to be always multitasking!! LOL. Sounds very simple but watch yourself today how many times your mind flows to the past and then switches to the future.

Do you want to practice a little of “being in the moment”? According to verywellmind, here are some simple steps for us to build on.

Notice Your Surroundings- One way to be in the present moment is by noticing your surroundings. How often do you take time out of your day to actually look around and see what's going on? When was the last time you sat down, closed your eyes, took a deep breath, and just looked at everything around you,

Focus on One Thing at a Time (Don't Multitask) -Oh my, you know that I am not good at just one thing! I knew this was coming. While it may feel more productive to multitask and work on more than one thing at a time, constantly juggling multiple tasks makes it hard to live in the present moment. While doing something that requires your full attention can seem overwhelming at first, be aware of how much more productive you are when fully engaged in a task. Compare this with trying to squeeze multiple things into one period of time or spending half of your energy on three different projects. If you're working on something, give it all of your attention.

Be Grateful For What You Have Now- Part of living in the present moment is taking the time to be grateful for what you have now (not in the past or in the future). If you are constantly focused on things you don't have, you aren't taking the time to appreciate what you have right now at this moment.

Accept Things As They Are (Not How You Want Them to Be) -If you want to start living in the present moment, you need to let go of how you think things should be and accept them for what they are. You cannot control everything that happens around you; sometimes life is going to be different than how you want it to be. Practicing acceptance will help you let go of the things in your life that are out of your control.

Spend Time With People Who Make You Feel Happy and Fulfilled -love this! Spending time with people who make you feel happy and fulfilled can be a great way to help yourself live in the present moment. Surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people will increase your own positivity and happiness levels. In turn, this will allow you to focus on what is going well right now instead of dwelling on past or future events.

Be Mindful of Everything You Do -Whatever you are doing from eating to scrolling your phone, you should be mindful of it. How often are you eating your lunch while watching TV at the same time? This is one way you might distance yourself from what you are doing and not live in the present moment because all of your attention isn't on that task or activity. Instead, try to focus on each meal while you eat. How does the food smell? How does it taste? How is your body reacting to what you have eaten so far? What sounds are around while you eat. Sounds easy, but it is harder than it sounds!

Take a Break From Social Media and Technology -Taking a break from social media and other technology can also help you to stay more present-focused. While you might think that constantly checking your social media accounts is helping you stay connected to the world, it is actually having a negative effect on your ability to be present.

Anyway, I enjoyed being focused on the farm and the kiddos and think I am still going to practice “being in the moment” or some say “mindfulness” and try to keep the multitasking to a minimum.

Hope you all have a beautiful week!