Refocus On Your Present Moment

The Raw Conversation

March 19, 2023

HISHEART, AJ

To be honest, stressing about the future does not help at all.

For some days I have been stressing the hell out of myself thinking about,

‘What will happen next?’

Unfortunately, it is a never-ending loop.

That keeps draining you!

Until.

Until you ask yourself to STOP.

You know what the problem is?

It is our ‘absent-mindedness.’

Yes.

The problem is: While doing things, we have no attentive state of mind.

And in those times, we are controlled by our minds…

That should not be a thing!

Vice Versa.

However, the unfortunate fact is:

We are always thinking.

Our mind is never free. And it is always busy making baseless stories and scenarios…

Which is a complete waste of time!

And such a sceneio also makes this statement true,

‘You don’t use your brain. Your brain uses you.’

Which is again wrong!

Because that’s the only reason…

You are unable to focus on

‘The Present Moment.’

Once you start observing the present moment and stop overthinking, you will be at peace with your mind and your surroundings.

Because overthinking is a disease. It can lead to various mental health issues.

_{In fact, everything that is ‘over’ is a disease.}

I took this example from ‘The Power of Now.’

It says It is okay when ‘cells’ multiply and grow.

But when the growth is more than is required, it ‘becomes’ a disease!

Similarly, our ‘Brain’ is a great organ…

Until it functions according to us!

If it controls us, causes destruction.

To get out of this ‘never-ending loop’ of overthinking and being ‘attentive’ in the present moment in this digital world of millions of distractions…

you need to pause and read this post till the end.

Why?

Because it will help you ‘Refocus’ and probably win at life.

So, let’s start it on - ‘The Present Moment’ post, my friend

I’ve recently been a victim of having a ‘delusional mindset,’ and it has caused me real-time mental health issues.

Though I feel good now, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be controlled by your mind and ‘what others tell you.’

You need to be very strong when it comes to your mindset.

You need to be firm.

You need to be focused.

You need to be attentive.

If you are not, it causes real trouble.

I have been through this and trust me, it’s very painful.

We often neglect our mental health.

But this gets quite troublesome.

In this post, I’d really like to help ‘You’ and ‘Myself’ stay in…

THE PRESENT MOMENT.

The thing is we all have a tendency to get lost in our thoughts.

And they make us run around them. But what if we find a way to stop this never-ending loop?

What if we find a way to use our brain as a ‘tool’ of introspection, instead of using it as an ‘escape route’ from reality.

What if we use our brains' innate ability to be ‘self-reflective’ to improve our lives?

If we could just learn how to use this gift, we would be able to become more present and aware of the things around us—and thus more in tune with our own minds.

I have figured out two most effective ways that might help you and I ‘Refocus on the Present Moment.’

You Need To Stop Being a Slave To Your Brain

If you're like most people, your brain's default setting is to focus on the past and future—and that can really take a toll on your ability to enjoy life in the moment.

You know, we all have a lot of stuff going on in our brains that we're not even aware of.

The mental noise that we refer to as ‘thoughts’ never lets us settle down with the reality of the present moment…

We think it’s normal to have thoughts in the brain.

But, in fact…

These thoughts are the ‘culprits’ that stop us from being in the present moment.

But the worst part is: it feels dreadful.

Dreadful when we can’t stop our thoughts.

We call it normal and go on with life. But, it shouldn’t be like that!

Our minds are supposed to be in ‘The Now Moment.’

Instead of the ‘could-bes’ or ‘what-ifs’ of the past or the future.

At most times, we tend to forget things because of this ‘Mental Chaos.’

Here’re some examples of how you tend to forget things:

• You're driving down the highway and suddenly you realise you left your wallet at home.

• Or, maybe you're just trying to get through a meeting and suddenly realise that there's a plate of cookies in front of you that you haven't had time to eat yet.

So what’s the way out?

What do you do when these things happen?

How do you refocus on the present moment & stop being a slave to your brain?

It's actually really simple!

All you have to do is ask yourself what matters right now.

Instead of focusing on everything else that's happening around you.

This can be as simple as taking a deep breath…

And saying:

I am here

Or…

As complicated as closing your eyes and saying, ‘This isn't real.’

The point is, every time something happens in your life…

That causes you to forget what matters most— let’s say; the people who love and support you…

The moments when things go right for you…

In those times/moments, you can just tell yourself, ‘I am here.’

And then just focus on being here for those moments.

It will help keep your mind focused on what matters the most.

So that when something else comes up later down the line, like a plate of cookies, you can be in the moment.

Trust me, I usually do this and it helps a lot.

End The Suffering

I read in the beginning pages of ‘The Power of Now’ that Budha says,

And when I kept on reading, I realised that an ‘incomplete’ phrase by Budha can actually help us refocus.

Because the answer to our problem…

Which is an inability to focus…

Is in this phrase!

Let’s prove how.

See, know that…

Everything, everything in this entire world is already 'within' you.

You just need to explore yourself and stop seeking from the world.

Because when you do that, that is when you will be more content.

Now you might say, ‘we are not talking about contentment here. Stay on the topic.’

Calm down, I know.

According to my understanding, Suffering, contentment, and focus are connected.

Here’s how:

We usually overthink stuff a lot.

That is because we are not content.

We are always thinking about things that haven’t happened yet or have happened in the past that we can’t change, which leads to having a blur mindset.

_{And that mindset begins controlling you.}

The solution to this entire scenario is:

Be it within or without!

Be it inside drama or outside’s.

I know that sounds kind of vague, but it's actually really, really important.

The reason it's important is that if you don't know ‘how to end the suffering’ within and without, then your life will be a mess.

Neither will you find contentment, nor will you be able to focus on:

The Present Moment.

Instead, there will be anger and hatred ‘within’ you.

You'll find yourself getting angry with people for no reason.

You’ll have trouble trusting people…

Because you believe that ‘people’ are out to get you…

And you'll feel like ‘nothing’ good ever happens in your life!

That's not what life is supposed to look like. It's supposed to look like happiness and joy!

So the question is how can you end the suffering?

To find the answer, we'll need to start by understanding what causes suffering. And while there are many causes of suffering, the most common one is: distraction.

When we're distracted, our mind wanders off into the pa/////st or future and we miss out on what's happening right in front of us.

And that's how we end up wondering why our life isn't better than it already is when all signs point to it being exactly as good as it ever was—or worse!

But why does our mind wander?

It can be because of external circumstances…

Like a stressful job or relationship.

But it can also come from internal factors like anxiety or depression.

And for some people, these internal factors become so overwhelming that they feel like there's no way out…

No matter what they do, they just can't seem to change things around them enough for their lives to feel any better.

That's where the answer to ‘How do you end the suffering?’ comes in.

You need to do two things:

Forgive Yourself & Those Who Hurt You

‘You are your own best friend.’ - I love this quote.

Because it reminds me that I am only as good as my own standards.

And how I hold myself to them.

I always think of myself as a kind person…

But sometimes I can be harsh on myself when things don't go exactly according to plan.

When this happens, I remind myself that even though life can be stressful and overwhelming sometimes, we all have the ability to choose how we respond to those feelings.

We can choose whether or not we let them consume us and make us feel helpless, or if we use them as an opportunity for self-reflection and growth.

We can choose whether or not we let them bring us down or make us stronger through the process of letting go and forgiving ourselves for our mistakes.

This is why forgiveness is so important in our lives…

It helps us move forward with a clear conscience knowing that no matter what happens next, there is already light at the end of the tunnel…

Regardless of what happened before that moment arrived on Earth.

Or wherever you are!

And the same effect comes from forgiving friends or connections that have hurt you.

_{People make mistakes all the time.}

And they're not always easy to take. But forgiving them helps you stay content with your life, whether you've been offended or hurt by a friend's actions or words.

We all know people who are quick to point out the flaws in others and hold grudges for years on end…

But what if you wanted to learn how to forgive that person?

How would you go about it?

It turns out that forgiveness is actually really easy. 

You just have to be willing to let go of whatever anger or negative feelings you have toward the other person—and then do it!

So this week, why not try forgiving someone else? Let me know in the comments below what you think!

Meditate

Meditation can help you end your suffering. 

I know what you're thinking—it's just a bunch of people sitting around, doing nothing.

But if you look at it from a different perspective, meditation is more like yoga than it is like going to the gym.

It's not about exercising your body; it's about learning how to move your mind.

Meditation isn't just about sitting down with your eyes closed and trying to empty your mind of thoughts…

It’s about learning techniques for moving through the mental blocks that keep us from being able to focus on the present moment…

And it's about learning how to let go of the past and worry about the future in a way that allows us to be here now and enjoy our lives in the present moment.

And guess what?

Once you've learned these techniques or skills of controlling your mind through meditation…

You’ll feel calmer, happier, more relaxed.

And that means less suffering!

The Bottom Line

We explored the idea of refocusing on the present moment.

Moreover, last but not the least, know that it’s easy to get caught up in what happened in the past or what might happen in the future.

But it's important to remember that we don't have a choice about how things turn out.

We can only control our own reactions and behaviours.

And if there are things we want to change…

That’s where our focus needs to be.

Now, finally enjoy your weekend.

And remember, here’s the quick takeaway:

Your mind has to be still to feel the feel moment - stay calm!

Cheers,

Kinsey