Living In The Moment

Well, 2018 did not start off in the way I had hoped with regards to the blog. By now I should have been writing my third or fourth blog post. But instead I’ve been struggling with this one for the last few days. This time around it’s not so much because of the ever competing work/blog balance. Or even the frigid temperatures. Mostly it’s because of a shift in where I’ve decided to spend my free time. And now caught up in the struggle to return to norm.

The truth is I went into the Holiday season with an aggressive blog task list and ended up doing NONE of it. Yes, you heard right, none of it.

As I get older I find myself thinking more and more on existential shit and trying to define what is truly meaningful in life. I find we are so busy nowadays with everything that’s going on around us. We get so caught up in our fast-paced lives that sometimes we can tend to forget and neglect those closest to us. For once, I put everything aside for living in the moment with my one and only.  We were fortune enough to have a few weeks off work together in a while so I decided to just enjoy the moment.

Living in the moment was great as we really didn’t do much other than enjoy each other’s company. There was a constant winter wonderland surrounding our house so hibernation was in full effect. We slept in a lot. Surfaced only for coffee and takeout. Stayed up really late binge-watching shows. And did it all over again day after day. It was almost a surreal experience where time stood still and it felt like we were the only two people in the world. We even put our home reno on hold, which in hindsight probably wasn’t the greatest idea. But you know what, nothing, and I do mean nothing, can replace that wonderful quality time we shared.

Sometimes you need to break free from everything. Especially nowadays when we are constantly shackled to electronic devices and social media. My mindset for 2018 really is about being in the moment and trying to calm the mind. Sometimes we can get so caught up planning for the future that we end up living life distracted. Not getting total fulfillment from our existing experiences. If you’re looking to calm your mind or simply to be living in the moment more here are some things you can try.

Take control of your thoughts.
It’s one thing to think and plan for the future, but being obsessed with it will do nothing for you, or your present. When you find yourself drifting there, just force yourself back to the ‘now’ and focus on that. Take in the moment, live in it.

Be present.
I’m guilty of it…Shane will be talking to me and while I’m listening my thoughts trail elsewhere. Until he finally asks me something and I realize I have no idea what he’s talking about anymore. The mindful nagging reminders of laundry, or whatever else began to invade our conversations. Worse yet, tainting my present experience with future thoughts. Almost defeating the purpose of living present when you’re constantly distracted thinking about the future. I wanted to enjoy every minute of our conversation and so I made the effort to stay present in the conversation and really listen to what he was saying. I don’t mean just listen, I mean really listen and take in what the other person is saying. In the end you’ll have more meaningful conversations.

Savour the moment.
Whenever I had something to do that I didn’t want to do I would wish to be done with it and onto the next. But when I really thought about it, I was “throwing” time away by thinking like that. Let’s say cleaning the whole house takes me 4 hours then why wish away those 4 hours? Why not spend that same 4 hours enjoyably and then transition to the next activity same way. So I began to shift my way of thinking.

Find a way to make the things you hate doing more fun and enjoyable. Lighting a scented candle and putting on some good tunes makes cleaning the kitchen somewhat enjoyable. (The gin helps too). I just bought a laundry basket so that I can bring the laundry down to the living room and fold it there while watching tv with the hubby. Or even taking a few minutes beforehand to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea before starting the task. It’s little things like that which can help you savour the moment and enjoy the present.

 Skirt, Saks Off 5th. Sweater, Guess (c/o Dixie Outlet Mall).  Beanie, Topshop. Boots, Kenneth Cole (Saks Off 5th). 

All that said, here I am living in the moment wearing my favourite lace up pink sweater (which you’ve seen a million times before) and some newbies from Saks Off 5th. Picked up these gorgeous Kenneth Cole floral print boots as well as this white peasant skirt when we were in Niagara Falls last month. I love the Saks Off 5th there and try to make it out there whenever we are in town. And I always manage to find a few goodies there.

On an end note, I have to admit that although living in the moment caused my anxiety to go up at times (due to neglecting blog and social media duties) in the end my soul felt refreshed. It was nice to disconnect for a while and spend time just ‘living’. Now I just have to figure out a way to balance the two.

Have you ever had to ‘disconnect’ from reality in order to connect back to it? Let me know in the comments!

xo