Most of us tend to live in the past or the future, as we are constantly thinking about what happened yesterday, or what might happen tomorrow. This kind of thought affects our life and well-being, but there are ways to ease these thoughts and get back into living mindfully at the present.
When we talk about living in the moment, we are often talking about mindfulness, or “paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.” This type of mindful, present-focused living keeps us out of our head, and stops us from focusing on things that went wrong in the past, while it also lessens the amount of time we spend worrying about what could go wrong in the future.
Notice your surroundings
One way to be in the present moment is by noticing your surroundings. During the day everyone should take time and actually look around and see what’s going on. Especially onboard, the view of a calm ocean at sunset can be breathtaking. Appreciate this moment, even if it is just for a few seconds. When we stop to look at our surroundings and take in everything around us, it’s easier to live in the present moment.
Accept things as they are
If you want to start living in the present moment, you need to let go of how you think things should be and accept them for what they are. No one can control everything that happens around them. In fact, we have to accept that sometimes life is going to be different than how we want it to be. For this reason, practicing acceptance will help you let go of the things in your life that are out of your control.
Get regular exercise
Regular exercise or even just taking a walk during your free time, can help you stay more focused on your present activities. More specifically, including yoga as part of your daily routine is another great way to live in the present, especially if it’s coupled with meditation and mindfulness exercises.
Stop rumination cycles
Rumination is “a mode of responding to distress that involves repetitively and passively focusing on symptoms of distress and on the possible causes and consequences of these symptoms.” When we ruminate, we tend to stay focused on our problems, our feelings, or our experiences, and we don’t take action to resolve them. As a result, this leads to greater levels of depression and anxiety. On the other hand, when we live in the present, we may still have negative emotions about things that happen to us, but instead of turning them over and over again in our minds, we take actions to change those emotions in the moment.
For example, if a seafarer has a disagreement with another crewmember onboard, instead of thinking out about how rude they were and how mad they are at them, the seafarer goes and talk to them, tell them how they feel, and request that they behave differently next time.
