“Get bored with your past, it’s over!”

I absolutely love this quote. It’s so well ( and simply) put. We can spend so much time with the chatter in our heads that we forget that actual ‘real life’ is going on without us fully participating in it.

Living in the present moment frees us from suffering. We can experience ‘what actually is’, not what we fear may be in the future (which often does not come to pass) or ruminate on the past, which cannot be changed. As with anything in life that we want to get good at, this takes practice.

Step one is to begin identifying where our mind goes. In other words, allowing ourselves to become more conscious, more aware of what our mind dwells on.

Typically our mind moves quickly jumping from thought to thought (what the Buddhists call ‘monkey mind’). We may have an innocuous thought like ‘what’s for lunch’ and our mind may make associations and all of a sudden we notice that we are upset about a previous encounter we had. It’s the noticing of these thoughts that can help us begin the process of ‘being here’. When we notice that our mind is racing, we can practice slowing our mind down by sitting quietly and watching our breath. This is a powerful tool that we always have with us. This idea of sitting and watching our breath is in fact a meditation practice. It’s ok if your mind wanders, just invite your mind back to watching your breath and begin again. Just stick with it, and notice how your life can go from a chaotic state to a more peaceful one.