Part 3 – Staying Present (at least as much as possible)
DEREK’S DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals. These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance. Thanking you in advance!
Greetings again, my fellow Mind Benders! (Maybe that’s a better way to refer to everyone – LOL)!
Today’s post is to give sort of a summary of what we have been talking about for the last two posts – the past and its effect on mental wellness. As the title suggests, these “final thoughts” are not so final as I could blog on this topic for EONS! There is just so much to say about the past and its effect on us.
So, one of the things I can say about the past is simple: Try and stay focused on the present moment. It is such a difficult thing to do, for me anyway. I am always caught up in the past on some level every. Single. Day. Perhaps we all are. For me, all it takes is music, a specific song for example. And the next thing I know, there I am again back in the past remembering whatever I was going through at the time, or what the song means to me, what it represents, or what event I associate it with.
For example, the song “You’re The One” (for me) by SWV brings me back to 1996 and the man I thought was the love of my life, Javier Muro. The feelings, the emotions, the love I felt for him all returns when I hear this song. I am immediately transported back to that time of being with him. This song and my obsession with him was a part of me for such a long time!!! And even without me playing the song, I was still swept there to yester-Javier-year LOL HOWEVER, I began to realize that it wasn’t healthy for me to do that all the time. I had to learn to what, what? STAY IN THE PRESENT MOMENT!
I have said it before, and I shall state again some of the things that I do to stay in the present moment:
- Meditation. Meditation helps me to focus. I have an ENTIRE morning routine that I go through, from prayer, to mindful meditation, to journaling, to Wonder Woman spins. Yes. Wonder Woman spins.
- Writing. Writing is EXTREMELY helpful for me. I am writing now, of course, blogging. I am also writing a web series/screenplay, which is so much fun for me. Blogging has become lots of fun for me, as well.
- Playing a musical instrument. I play the trumpet, clarinet, and the flute. Unfortunately, I need to get my clarinet and flute repaired, but I still have my trumpet. Now, when I play my trumpet, I cannot help but get focused on those hard high notes I sometimes have to play 🙂
- Exercise. This is actually my LEAST favorite thing to do; however, believe it or not it actually works for me. I know it works for a lot of people.
- Being around friends/people. You cannot help but get caught up in the present when you are around friends, at least it works for me. Of course, with the pandemic, it makes it a bit challenging. But there is Zoom, of course. And whenever I do something on Zoom, magically the past is simply not there, because I am focused on whomever I am with on Zoom.
- Sitting outside. I LOVE nature and the sun and sitting on my patio. What I will do is focus on the trees, the weather, the sun, my patio railing, the patio furniture — anything my eyes can see whenever I am on my patio.
- Sometimes I will simply say “stay in this moment.” If it is a good moment, most definitely I tell myself that, even if it is when I am driving. Rather than get tangled up in the past, I just focus on whatever I am doing at that time.
These are just a few things I do to stay in the present moment.
And in summation, I am not saying not to revisit the past. However, if you especially feel that remembering the past is making you feel sad, or down, or longing and/or wishing things had been different – ESPECIALLY with a relationship – then just breathe, reframe, and try refocusing. See if it works. If not, try something else. By all means, let me know what works for you in the comment section below.
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It is time for me to say ta ta for now. Till the next time!
Be mentally well!!!
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: There are products on this page. By clicking on the links, you will be redirected to that page at no cost to you. However, I will receive compensation if you purchase something (which I hope you do 😊).
