Living in the Moment
When I was in my mid-twenties, I planned to go rock climbing with a friend for the weekend. We had it all planned: the car, the equipment, the campground, the climbs we wanted to do. Then we saw the weather forecast: It was going to rain. Climbing in the rain – or just after it has rained – is too dangerous. The rocks are slippery, but worse than that, the anchors become loose. Our trip was cancelled. My friends wanted to do something else, but I was inconsolable. I moped for the entire weekend and for several days afterwards. I had so looked forward to the trip and now I couldn’t move on.
This is an extreme example of letting thoughts about the past interfere with enjoying the present moment. However, this kind of interference occurs regularly. We spend so much time ruminating about the past and dreading possible disasters that we don’t even notice what is happening right now. Analyzing the past is essential so that we don’t make the same mistakes again and so that we can savor glorious memories. Envisioning the future is essential for creating concrete goals and action plans. But both of these are less important than I used to think. It’s okay – and even beneficial – to lose myself in the present moment: to savor the taste and texture of homemade rice pudding or to throw myself 100% into organizing a spreadsheet.
I used to spend a lot of time thinking about what I was going to do next. For example, as I walked from the car to my office, I created a list: turn on my computer, copy materials for my class, check for emails from so-and-so, tell this other person something else. I’d repeat this list over and over, with just slight variations, every step of the way. But I have recently discovered something miraculous: All those things happen anyway, even if I don’t think about them beforehand. I can spend my walk doing something else – noticing the first spring flowers, enjoying the bird song, just living in the moment.
How did this transformation happen? Recently, I completed an eight-week mindfulness training course because I wanted to reduce my stress. It worked. I am generally less stressed than I was before I took this course, and when plans don’t go my way, I don’t get nearly so upset. The ordinary little things – getting locked out of my house, having my PIN number not work, spilling milk all down my front – don’t bother me like they used to. They happen, I notice them happen, and then I figure out what I will do instead of my original plan. In a few seconds, I have adapted to the new circumstances, carried out the new plan, and congratulated myself on being so clever about my solution. Even minor disasters like spilling water on my laptop don’t stress me out as much as they used to.
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program taught me how to be fully aware of the present moment. Over the last decade, more than 18,000 people have completed this training. Empirical evidence demonstrates that mindfulness training reduces psychological distress by 40% and reduces people’s medical symptoms by 35%. I recommend this mindfulness training to you. You can access this free online 8-week training program at http://palousemindfulness.com/
Kimberly A. Barchard is the Director of the Interactive Measurement Group. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at UNLV. She joined UNLV in 2001 after obtaining her MA and PhD in Psychometrics. She works to empower students and colleagues to accomplish their personal and professional goals, particularly through the development of leadership, communication, and research skills.