Be Present

Why is it that so many people suffer from anxiety?  It is a question I am asked all of the time by clients.  Anxiety is a very uncomfortable feeling and can get so bad that people become ill.  How many times have you heard stories of people going to the emergency room thinking it was their heart only to learn they are having a panic or anxiety attack.  This is very real and happens all  the time.  If we do not address our anxiety our bodies will make us pay attention to it!

Many times we get stuck in worry about what was or about what will be.  However, being stuck in the past or anticipating worry about the future will do us no good.  We can not undo past events and we can not control future outcomes.  All we can do is be in the here and now, be present.  When we are stuck in the past or focused on the future we are not here.  We are not present.

If you become anxious here is an exercise to do which will help you calm down:

Pay close attention to your surroundings and begin to talk to your self.  What time is it, where are you, it is day or night, are you sitting on the couch, chair, etc.?  For example talk to yourself and say, " it is Monday at 9 a.m., I am home, it is sunny out, I am on the blue couch, the walls are white, my pants are blue, I am eating breakfast, etc. "  Keep doing this to reorient yourself until you feel yourself calm down.

Yesterday is done, tomorrow has not happened yet, today is the present and the present is the gift. 

Be in the Present and enjoy the gift of today!