Socially Distressed: The Secret to Learning to Just Let Go and Be In the Present

Do you often find yourself worrying about stupid things to the point that you rarely have fun? Personally, this has always been a problem for me. I used to worry about everything and as a result I did just about nothing. Recently though, that has all been changing as I have learned to focus my attention on the present and live life. In just a few hours today, I was able to do three things that would have left me with a crippling pit in my stomach just a few months ago. So how did I get to this point, and how can you get to this point?

First you need to understand what it means to be present. Take a moment to concentrate on everything that is going on around you right now, at this moment. Forget about what happened before this moment and what will happen after this moment. Just focus on everything that you see, hear, and feel right now. This is the present. All of the pain and worry we feel comes from what we have experienced in the past, and expect to experience in the future. So when you are in the present, you are focused on what is happening right now, instead of what has happened in the past or will happen in the future.

Once you have experienced being in the present you can begin to learn to let go. It can take a lot of practice to be able to be in the present all of the time, so it makes sense to learn to bring yourself into the present at times when you being in the present is most helpful to you. Doing this is actually pretty simple once you get the hang of it. The next time you start to feel a pit forming in your stomach, just start to focus on everything that is happening right then at that moment. Listen to the sounds, feel the breeze and see the colors all around you. Then continue what you are doing, focusing on it one moment at a time.

Of course you wouldn’t want to do everything without considering the consequences, but even when you are in the present you know the difference between right and wrong. You still are able to use your past experience to make decisions, and make choices that work toward what you want in the future. The only difference is that in the present you don’t dwell on those facts, and can make the best out of every moment.

I have no doubt that if you take the time to learn to be present, you will have much more fun in life. I cannot even begin to explain the difference that this has made in my life and I can only hope that it will help each of you, my readers, as well.

Further Reading

If you would prefer to learn more about being present, I highly reccomend reading "The Power of Now" and "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle.