The Present moment, the Now moment is the only moment that is ever truly guaranteed. Though in our busy world, we often find ourselves living life through the lens of our mind. Absorbed and lost in thoughts of past or future, or thoughts about this moment instead of fully rooting ourselves in the moment to live it.
Science says that we have around 6000 thoughts per day with many of these thoughts being subconscious habitual pattered thoughts that are the same as the day before. The thoughts we think can literally influence each moment that we are in by triggering our brains to release hormones that influence the emotions that arise in our bodies. This means we can become angry, sad, happy, excited, etc. simply by thinking about a certain situation or event. This constant and pattered thinking takes us out of life in the moment and into living life in our heads.
So, how do we get out of the loop of our minds and find a sense of true inner peace? How do we root ourselves, ground ourselves fully in the present moment? This begins by becoming a passive observer to the thoughts we think, learning to observe each thought train, Instead of constantly responding and reacting to them. Awareness of our thoughts and awareness of our patterns is beneficial for us to begin making shifts in a different direction. When we become aware of our mind moving too fast or find ourselves overwhelmed by thoughts of a situation or event, we can bring ourselves back to center, back to balance by grounding ourselves in this now moment through deliberate focus and observation of our surroundings, by observing the sounds off in the distance, by feeling into our body, by feeling the sensations that are arising, and by using our breath as an anchor into the now. In my experience following my breath as I inhale and exhale while looking around me and fully taking in my surroundings has been a very powerful tool to surrender to the Now moment and find true peace.