Have you made contact with your environment today?
Let me begin by explaining what I exactly mean by "making contact with your environment" before you answer that question.
As humans surviving in today's fast past, high impact world, we tend to function on semi-automatic. Meaning physically we are here (wherever here is) but mentally we are living in the past or the present.
Our thoughts tend to run wild with ideas, mostly ones who are irrational in nature, leaving us numb to the present moment we are in. Have you ever arrived somewhere and then realized you have no idea how you got there? Physically you may have walked or drove your car, but mentally you were in another reality, either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. To much surprise, there is actually only "here" and "now", no other moment in time is promised. By making contact with your environment you can ground your whole being, mind, body, and soul, to the present time. This present moment.
So how do you make contact with your environment you ask?
This can be done in many ways, but an easy place to start is through your innate five senses.
Touch, taste, hear, see, and smell.
What do you see around you?
Take a deep breath, what do you smell?
What can you hear?
Turn off your minds chatter and actually tune in and listen. (Bonus, active listening is a great tool that will improve your relationships and memory).
When you make contact with your environment you will find a sense of peace and happiness, no longer in a state on angst dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
Making contact with your environment is like a sport. The more you practice the stronger you get and your endurance builds. Meaning, you are able to remain in present time for longer stretches at a time. Setting a goal of making contact with your environment first thing in the morning will also help you to continue making contact throughout your day.
There's no better time or place to start living presently than now. So go ahead, take a deep breath. What do you smell? What can you hear? What do you see around you?
Comments