One Tip for Enhanced Communication: Present-Moment Awareness
Present-moment awareness refers to those often fleeting periods when we experience life as it is happening. You may be thinking, I always experience life as it is happening. And if this is truly the case, give us a call, we would love to learn from you!
In these moments, we are keenly aware of the sensations and feelings that are currently at work in the environment. If you are sitting, you notice the sensation of your body making contact with the furniture. If you are drinking a cup of tea, you take note of the temperature of the drink, the way the mug feels in your hands, and how the tea warms your body as you consume it. If you are on a walk, you notice the breeze on your skin, the sounds of the environment, and how your knees feel with each step.
The truth is, most people move through the day distracted from the present moment. Two main mind distractors are replaying past events or planning future events. The self-talk that accompanies these distractors can be very intense, depending on how emotionally charged the situation is. It might sound something like this:
- I wish I had said X…
- I wish I hadn’t said X…
- The next time I am in that situation, I am going to say and do X…
- I should have handled that situation differently.
- I need to finish X, Y, and Z. How am I going to get it all done?
- I wish my life looked more like X.
Again, these are just examples and your self-talk may sound different. Getting lost in your thoughts is normal. Reminiscing and making plans are normal brain functions. We are not suggesting that you stop these activities. However, these actions can quickly turn into more harmful states of being that can have an impact on mental health, as one study found.
Unfortunately, humans tend to ruminate on the past and worry about future events so much that there is little time for present-moment awareness. For some people, the time that is not spent in past/future thinking is spent mindlessly completing daily tasks, playing electronic games, surfing social media, or binging seasons of shows on a favorite streaming service. Fortunately, making the switch to present-moment awareness is a skill that is easily learned and with practice, can begin to benefit how you experience life immediately.
For the main article One Tip for Enhanced Communication, CLICK HERE
For the article Building Present-Moment Awareness, CLICK HERE
For the article Practicing Present-Moment Awareness, CLICK HERE
For the article Present-Moment Awareness in Communication, CLICK HERE
