How to be Present and Mindful - why it's important!

I have a million thoughts going through my head - so many what-ifs! I'm trying to relax and enjoy the moment, but I cannot wait for some time to pass and see what the future brings. I'm really glad I drastically altered my situation in the end of January (no alcohol, reduced caffeine, really cleaned up my diet and got back into daily yoga) because I have high hopes that things will go well or at least high hopes that I did everything that *I* can do to better my situation... but you never really know what the future holds, do you?

Learning to accept things out of my control has always been hard for me :) Trying to breathe and be present!

 

I'm putting effort into calmness and presentness - I know if I can achieve those, my body will be the stronger for it. I've been reading a few articles this morning to remind myself why and how to do this. I thought I would share some for those looking to improve a little in that arena:

http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2008/08/01/7-awesome-reasons-to-be-present-and-how-to-do-it/

http://www.howtolive.com/be-present/

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/09/7-easy-ways-to-be-mindful-every-day/

I had a really nice and peaceful morning yesterday - everything from grocery shopping to walking the dog and yoga and watching TV was not hurried or stressed. I got kind of worked up later in the day after brunch (my friends were drinking champagne and conversations were getting pretty animated, haha).

I have to work on taking things as they come. Things have worked out decently for the past 33 years, even when life threw me painful curveballs. But I am still here, still moving forward, and I got to believe I will continue to do that, no matter what :)

Other than that, things are going well with me. Especially physically - I feel great, actually, just a little more tired than usual (though I wonder how much of that has to do with the fact I used to drink 6-7 cups (or two big mugs) of coffee a day and now I am drinking one small cup that I pour into warmed up coconut milk, haha). But still staying active - getting between 8500-11000 steps in a day, depending on number of walks. Also did an arm workout yesterday before brunch while watching some bad TV. My shoulders and upper arms are definitely feeling it today!

Alright - back to the grind. Overtime again this week (less hours, though, because as I said, I've been decently tired lately).

Namaste <3