Remain Present - Paige C. Clark

The consequences of not remaining in the moment

four young adults around a table at an outside barbecue

We tell ourselves different stories in our heads every single day. Our internal critical voice keeps us consumed with thoughts that throw us off-kilter and into a state of anxiety. A thought about jeans not fitting us right that day can spiral into obsessive thoughts about what we’re going to eat that day, regret about what we’ve consumed the previous days, and how terribly I can punish myself at the gym. Can I push myself to exhaustion? Can I obsess myself to exhaustion?

Maybe shelf esteem isn’t your battle. Maybe it’s feelings of discomfort around germs. The dog licked your hand and you used it to eat your lunch without washing your hands. Maybe you’ll get a mouth fungus that was passed from the dog. Or what if the dog had a parasite and you’ll need to take them to the vet and how are you going to pay for that?

if you’re anything like me, you’re reading those words and think “yep! That’s me to a T.”

Welcome to the anxiety community. Where your frustrations and fears can be understood.

While I do understand these and feel the depth and pain that it can cause your life, I also invite you to know that there is a world that is out there that is begging for your love, your attention, and your spirit.

When we get stuck inside our heads we go into autopilot mode. Think of it as setting the cruise control on your car and letting your speed stay continuous without you having to touch it. That’s what my brain goes to when I am stuck in an anxious state. I disconnect from the world and go on cruise control. I let my body do its thing while my brain takes a wild ride.

I’ve noticed that when I get stuck in cruise control, that I miss out on a lot of life. I become forgetful about significant memories I should be able to recall. I zone out of conversations. I am a robot on cruise control. The lights might be on but nobody is home.

I miss a lot of life instead of living it. While my brain is stuck and spinning with the rainbow wheel, life is busy passing me by. Why does this matter? It sounds cliche, but we only have one life to live. We only get one shot at it. We get to live every day with the fullness and richness that God blesses us with.

Check out my how-to guide for remaining present in every moment.

WHY GROUNDING IS IMPORTANT TO WELLBEING

Anxiety whether chronic or situational has a tendency to plague us all. Anxieties can cause our minds to run and our bodies to respond. Grounding is the ability to bring our awareness to the present.

Anxieties keep us in our heads, grounding brings us to our bodies. Where we can’t think ourselves to healing or logic ourselves to a stable ground again.

Our anxieties are a place where we can’t think straight. Where it feels like we’re in a tornado and we don’t know where it’s going to dump us out.

Grounding is an unparalleled technique. For me, something as simple as walking outside barefoot and having the sunshine on my face brings me to the present moment.

This is what I tell myself when I need to bring myself presently:

“mmmm the warm sun on my face feels good. How does it feel different from the part that isn’t in the sun? Does my face feel different than the skin under my shirt? It does! How so? What words would you give the different sensations you’re experiencing?

Now bring your attention to your feet. The rocks feel pokey. There’s one rock that feels a little bit sharper than the other. While the feeling on the rest of my feet feels uncomfortable, it’s not painful. How would I describe the discomfort? Bumpy? No. Uneven? Definitely. Inconsistent is another good one.”

Instead of having my brain ask myself in the circles of my anxieties and frustrations, I bring my racing brain to the present moment. Inquiring about what is happening in the here and now. I take my brain from anxiety, to present, to please.

When I work to ground myself in the present moment, I am able to really connect with my body. While I’m still thinking and processing various questions, my thoughts aren’t stuck in my head. They are applied to my body.

Have you tried any type of grounding before? Maybe for you it’s something that I mentioned above. Or maybe standing outside in the dirt doesn’t sound as enjoyable to me as it does to you. I put together a quick guide to review my top 10 grounding techniques to help bring you into the present moment.