Being present and letting go

Through my search for personal truth (connection with higher self) I have had many wonderful tools delivered to me through all sorts of people and experiences. I’ve also had plenty of doubts; times were I’ve thought I should chuck it all in.

I look forward to sharing my beliefs, experiences and what i feel has worked for me on my journey towards truth. There is no finish, we are always evolving and deepening our levels of awareness.

I also don’t have all the answers (no one ever does) probably because we all have something to contribute to the whole and of course the fact that our growth never stops! Many of the books I’ve read have helped me along my path. But often, I would come away from them and think, great… But how do I actually live this? The information made sense on an intellectual level; however, that’s not so helpful when in a moment of fear, anger or doubt.

How do we become present when we are caught up in emotion?

The test and journey to become present

I often find that when I’m about to try something new, I will be tested around this. All my old coping patterns and fears present themselves again and I tend to freeze up and think great, not this again! One such experience was a meditation workshop I attended about 10 years ago. The closer it got, the more I worried. I tended to overthink and fell back into my default settings. I subjected myself to the usual, what if I can’t do it right? what if I make a fool of myself? The ‘What if?’ scenario continued to plague me. I decided to contact the woman organizing the meditation and share what I was experiencing.  She let me know that everything I was feeling was ‘just right’; that often these thoughts come up to be confronted, worked through and then released. She continued to say that “out of fear comes courage and out of courage comes wisdom”.  She was right!

The problem with everything and the beauty of it all

There will always be those moments, opportunities to apply the things that we have learnt. I’m starting to embrace moments of fear. When we face our fears with courage and let go, we find our wisdom and truth. The more we do this the easier it gets. We start to apply these ideas and truly live them.
So, back to the question of how to?

Practice being present and letting go.

You can’t get overwhelmed if you are in the present moment. Despite what you may read or hear, there is no quick fix. It takes practice, determination and strength of will. The more you do this, the easier it gets. These are ways that help me to recenter and become present:

• When I find myself stuck in my head, I go outside. Nature has a way of bringing me back into the present moment: I tend to get lost in the beauty of nature.
• Things that are reminiscent of my childhood. Kids are great at being present; coloring in mandalas is one of my favorites (Coloring Mandalas by Susanne Fincher)
• Animals are great teachers. My dog, Toby is a zen master at being present. My cats are mostly asleep so they’re always “present ” 😉
• A simple exercise I love to do is to drop any thoughts down out of my head into my heart. I always smile while doing this to feel my heart energy.  It doesn’t take long to become present when I’m in my heart.
• Replace old thought patterns, ‘why is everything so hard’ to ‘it’s getting easier”. Try this mantra for a week, the difference will amaze you.

Work on remembering what you want your life to be and keep practicing!

What are some techniques you use to help you stay present? Join in the conversation and comment below.

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