Being quarantined and having all this extra time has been wonderful....AND a huge struggle for me! Maybe you can relate? Yes, it's been great to finally have uninterrupted time for so many projects I've had to put aside because my schedule was over filled. Like cleaning and organizing closets, and mine are looking stellar ya'll. Martha Stewart would be jealous, seriously. I've been involved in art projects that i didn't think I'd get to even look at until retirement! That's been such sweet fun! And playtime in my kitchen (#kitchenasana)! LOVELY! I've been cooking like it's my job, and loving it!!
But here's the counter to all that wonderful time well spent, I've also had considerable time lost in my head. You know, like too much time to think about things. And it's not constructive think time, no, it's almost always things I can't do anything about. Like the past, or finances, how am I going to pay bills, how is anyone going to pay bills, will I get approved for assistance, will anyone get approved for assistance, will Clients return when I re-open, when can i re-open, when can anyone re-open. And on and on. So it's like a self sabotage of fully enjoying the beauty of having this time to spend on wonderful stuff. I couldn't just relax into it because my mind was too busy worrying, even when I thought I was being so Zen-like and clear headed. Pfftt!
This got me thinking of how to live more mindfully, how "I" can live more mindfully and in the present moment. This is I'm sure a universal struggle. We all get wrapped up in our thoughts, either in the past or the future and rarely in the moment, in THIS moment. I meditate, I slow down, I practice all kinds of yoga, I used to teach Restorative yoga for crying out loud. And still I need these lessons. We all need reminders from time to time so I'll try to be nice to myself about it. I came up with a short list of things to think about when you find yourself struggling to live life one moment at a time. Here it goes;
1. SMILE; yep, flash those pearly whites. Each day is brimming with possibility. So seize it, be happy & stay optimistic!
2. BE HERE NOW; Soak up your surroundings in any given moment. Use those super sensory organs to fully take in what you are seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling. Then appreciate them, give them a little nod of gratitude for they an important element in defining a moment.
3. FORGIVE PAST HURTS; This is a big one, I know. But forgiveness is more about you unshackling the chains that bind you to pain that is long gone...done....over....history. This is about YOU, not them, and it's time to move on so that you are free to be here, in this moment, right now.
4. STOP WORRYING; Today is today and tomorrow is a new day. And whatever is going to transpire tomorrow , it's going to happen anyway, even if we worry ourselves sick about it. So let that go, don't waste precious energy, REDIRECT it!
I hope this helps bring you here, to right now so that you don't miss a thing. Because this is yours, your life, your moment. Learning to live in the present is an essential ingredient to a happy life. And I want that, for myself and for all of you. I'm sending that wish out globally because what a world it would be, if we were all living our happiest versions of life.
Be Happy ~ Choose Now!
Namaste xo
Elisa