10 Little Reminders To Help You Enjoy The Moment
We want to enjoy the moment but with the busyness of life and distractions of our thoughts, we often remove ourselves from the moment instead. These reminders will help you to slow down, be more present and actually get to enjoy the moments that help you enjoy your life.
10 Little Reminders To Help You Enjoy The Moment
So much of our lives is spent getting things done, proving ourselves and seeking validation, comparing our lives away and trying to “get there.” We spend so much time and energy and heartache trying to “get there” that we often forget we are here. We are here in this fleeting moment and we never really get to be anywhere else.
1. Make space so you can enjoy the moment.
We don’t remove clutter, reject busyness and reduce stress to have a simple life. We do it to have a life. Don’t worry about what a simple life is supposed to look like, or should be like or what other people say it is. Simplicity is just the tool. Use it to create a life of what matters most to you, a life you can show up for and a life where you feel most like you. You’ll enjoy the moment more often when you are surrounded by less stuff, busyness and stress.
2. Hold on to what matters, let go of the rest.
Keep releasing stuff, the things you don’t care about so you have time, space and attention for what actually matters to you. If letting go of stuff feels hard, remember that holding on to it is harder. You have to hold on to it every single day. You hold on by giving it space in your home or your heart. You hold on by giving it your time, attention and energy. You hold on to it over and over and over again but you only have to let go of it once.
3. Most things don’t require your time or attention.
Most things don’t require or deserve your time and attention. Even though it feels like we are pulled in a million different directions, we do not have to respond or devote any energy at all to most of the things that are saying, “choose me!” It’s not just the big things either, really see where your minutes and moments are going. Save this precious resource of attention for something precious.
4. If catching up worked, you’d be caught up by now.
Remember the glass and plastic ball analogy? Think about all of the balls you have up in the air like … taking care of yourself, feeding your kids, a project deadline, mental health, physical health, having fun, cleaning house, asking for a raise, emptying your inbox, responding to a text message, laundry, watching a movie (and on and on and on). Some of those items are made of glass so if they drop, they will break or be damaged. Others are made of plastic and they bounce. You can pick them up again later (or not). This is not about balance, this is about priority. When you find yourself striving to catch up or struggling because you feel like you are behind, be here for a moment. This is it. Enjoy the moment.
5. Allow things to be calm within you.
When you feel hurried, anxious or chaotic, ask yourself, “Is this within me or around me?” If it’s around you, remind yourself that it’s not your responsibility to absorb the rush or the chaos. This is a practice of course but your nervous system will thank you. Even small moments of slowing and calming your insides will help you be present and enjoy the moment. Things can be calm within you even when it’s chaotic around you.
6. Notice and celebrate what you love.
When you look at the things around you, pay attention to what makes you smile. Noticing the stuff you know you want to hold on to and make space for will make letting go of the rest a little easier. Interestingly, it works the other way too. You may discover what you enjoy underneath all of the stuff you don’t really want.
7. Leave space in between everything.
You’ll never get to enjoy the moment without space in between everything. I used to forget to make space in between in the name of getting it all done. Now I know that the rest, breath, noticing and healing that happens in between means more to me and positively impacts how I feel, treat people and do my work. As the year gets fuller and fuller before it comes to an end, don’t forget to make space in between.
8. Put your phone down to enjoy the moment right in front of you.
Phone-first mornings and moments remove you from how you want to feel and what you want to care about and how you feel your feelings. Instead you immediately fill yourself with the news, or requests in email, or opinions on social media. Unless there is something on your phone that is truly urgent, imagine how you might create more ease by putting your hands on your heart before you put them on your phone
9. Be gentle with yourself.
When you are gentle with yourself, your nervous system can better tolerate what’s happening out there. We get so overwhelmed because things are overwhelming AND because we push back, go harder, get through and toughen up to prove our strength and resilience. Despite how we feel, we keep trying to catch up, climb the ladders, stay in control, jump through the hoops, take care of all the things and do it all. Whew. Too too much. Let’s slow down and be gentle instead. Let’s give our insides a break. That stuff on the outside is always going to be out of hand, overwhelming and hard to handle. The stuff on the inside though, that’s our home. We can take it back by being good to ourselves.
10. Release perfection to enjoy the moment.
Let there be typos.
Let there be failures.
Let dinner be breakfast.
Let there be times when you wish you had done things differently.
Let your morning routine start at noon.
Let your new year’s resolutions start in September (or ditch them altogether)
Let there be disagreements with people you love.
Let there be lazy afternoons.
Let yourself be imperfect … imperfectly you.