living in the moment Archives

How Living in the Moment Can Help You Get Past Grief

When you’re living in the moment, your focus is on that moment only. The past and the future can’t touch you. It can be a difficult task to put your feelings about the past or future aside. It’s like when someone says, “Don’t think of a purple unicorn!”

You just thought of one right now, didn’t you?

Well, your grief is sometimes like that purple unicorn standing out and it seems like there’s nowhere to turn to hide. When on your grief journey, you can find help by using present moment thinking.

Remaining in the present takes practice. While you are learning how to live in the moment, remember that it gets easier as time goes on.

Using Meditation

You can work on controlling your thoughts, but one practice that’s all about staying in the present moment is meditation. This simple exercise can also help you work through your grief.

Here are a few meditation tips:

Make a meditation schedule – 30 minutes per day every day.
Go to a place where you can relax and be alone.
Sit in a position with good posture.
Take deep breaths in and out.
You can use a “mantra” or positive affirmations to help you focus.
When thoughts arise, acknowledge them, and then release them.

The most difficult thing you might encounter when learning to meditate is calming your busy mind. Focusing on your breathing helps clear away extraneous thoughts and worries.

When you are grief-stricken, it is an especially difficult time to keep a clear mind. Thoughts of the past will more than likely keep coming up in your practice. This is normal. As you continue practicing, it will get easier to focus on the now.

An important thing to remember is to avoid judging yourself. Don’t punish yourself for thinking of the past when you’re trying not to think about it. Realize that your mind is taking a turn you did not intend. Use this time to try to focus and get it back on track. Be grateful that you were able to catch yourself in the middle of a negative thought, and then move on.

Practice Consistency

Once you’ve adopted a philosophy of present moment thinking, concentrate on keeping up with your practice. Rather than a mechanism you turn to only when you’re in a pinch, consistent present moment thinking can bring you an exhilarating new lifestyle!

When you learn to live in the moment, you’ll find more peace and happiness in life. You’ll be calmer and more collected and enjoy every moment for what it is.

Moment By Moment

At times, you may find it difficult to remain in the present just because you must refer to the past and plan for the future in order to live. This is true, however, once the reflection is over, and the planning is put away, your goal is to try to remain in the moment as much as possible.

Here are a few additional tips.