How rare is it for us to be completely in the present? In other words, when is the last time you’ve fully been in the moment? I mean with no worry about the future and no regret from the past. If you are reading this right now, chances are you noticed this within yourself and decided to take the first step towards staying present in the moment. Congratulations!

Before we get into the ins and outs of being present, take the time to ask yourself why you want to start being present. What are you hoping to gain from being present in the moment? Maybe you just want to stop going around in circles in your head, or you just want to give your loved ones your undivided attention. Whatever it is, write it down and come back to it throughout your journey to remind yourself about why you even started. 

Why is Staying Present Important

There are many reasons for why staying present is important. You wouldn’t be here right now if you didn’t believe presence was important. I’m sure many of us are familiar with the cloudiness and overstimulation that comes from constantly living in our heads. And I’m sure you intuitively know the benefits of staying present in the moment. I just want to provide some scientific proof that your intuition can rely on. 

The harvard happiness study

• Many people spend most of the time in their days daydreaming or just living inside their heads
• Mind wandering is an excellent predictor of happiness.
• How often our mind wanders and where it wanders to are better predictors of happiness than the activities we are engaged in
• Only 4.6% of a person’s happiness was caused by the activity they were doing, whereas a person’s mind-wandering status accounted for 10.8% of their happiness

Benefits your psychological well-being

• Staying present with your thoughts and observing them in a nonjudgmental way creates a greater sense of clarity within your mind. 
• An increase in presence is related to a decline in mood disturbance and stress. 

Improves your attention and focus

• Studies have showing that staying present enhances cognitive processes, attention regulation, and working memory, which are all crucial when comes to staying focused
• An 8-week mindfulness-based training program found that mindfulness helped the brain’s memory and self-network work together more efficiently.
• This resulted in better cognitive performance in adults who were at risk for decline in cognition
• Repeated practice of pulling your attention away from a distraction and back onto a single focus improves the connections within your brain, while also making the brain better at processing information

Why It’s So Hard to Stay Present

With all of the distractions we have—social media, TV, music (depending on what type)—it feels like going against the grain when we try to stay present. But I believe these aren’t the only reasons our minds like to wander. When we were kids, before all this social media consumption, we daydreamed often. It wasn’t something perpetuated by technology, as most of us didn’t have access to tech. Here are some reasons for why our minds tend to wander. 

The brain is hardwired for mind wandering

• Despite our willpower to stay present in the moment, the thoughts that disconnect us from the outside world happen whether we want them to or not
• No matter how much you pinch yourself, touch grass, or move restlessly wherever you are, your mind will occasionally escape the present moment

Mind wandering increases over time

• It does not matter what a task’s difficulty is; our minds wander a lot more as time goes on, leading to a 50% distraction rate towards the end of activities. 
• We often blame our devices for us being out of touch with the present moment, but our minds wander whether not we have our devices around us

Default mode network

• Mind wondering is spontaneous, off-task, and an internal mental process that is difficult to control, document, or replicate
• The default mode network is most active when a person is not focused on the outside world and the brain is at wakeful rest, such as when daydreaming or mind wandering

The stress and cortisol connection

• Stress hormones don’t just affect the body; they also effect how the brain’s ‘default mode network’ works
• Shifts how we remember the past, plan for the future, and let our minds wander

I included these reasons for why our mind wanders to give you reasoning for why we tend to struggle with staying in the present, not to discourage you. If anything, you should embrace these difficulties since they are inevitable and to prove to yourself that you have what it takes to stay present in the moment most of the time. 

Techniques to Stay Present

TECHNIQUE #1: Mindful Breathing Meditation

Find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted, sit comfortably, and focus on your breath. Notice every little thing you can about your breath, the temperature, the cold feeling as you inhale, and how your breath feels as it escapes your lungs. And don’t get discouraged by your mind wandering; remember it’s completely normal. Be patient with yourself. 

• Breathwork produces greater improvement in mood and lowers respiratory rates compared to mindfulness meditation on its own, but both of them together reduce negative emotions
• Slowing your breathing rhythm with sighs, promotes a sense of calm within your body, bringing you back into the present moment.
• After eight weeks of mindfulness breathing meditation, participants used their brains more effectively—less mental energy was needed for the same or better performance

TECHNIQUE #2: Body Scan Meditation

Lie down on your back or sit comfortably, have your arms resting comfortably at your sides, and breathe deeply. You don’t need to do anything; just pay attention to your body. Next, start scanning your body systematically, starting with your feet, and notice any sensations like tingling, soreness, warmth, or even numbness. Slowly move your attention up throughout your body. If you notice tension, discomfort, or warmth, just imagine breathing into that area. 

• 47 healthy students were randomly assigned to practice body scan meditation daily for eight weeks or listen to an audiobook as a control
• Cortisol levels declined in the body scan group, but went up in the book group
• The body scan group as a whole showed less biological stress at the end of the study
• Body scan meditation was related to an improvement in psychological well-being and a decrease in anxiety. 

TECHNIQUE 3: Grounding Techniques (5-4-3-2-1)

This is when you use 5 senses to notice your environment systematically. First name 5 things you can see. Then focus on 4 things you physically touch. After that, tune into 3 sounds you hear around you. Notice 2 things you can smell, and lastly, focus on one thing you can taste. 

• This technique comes from mindfulness and sensory awareness practices, which are very effective in reducing anxiety and stress
• Research shows that grounding exercises reduces your default mode network, the pathway associated with overthinking
• Instead, your brain starts to observe your environment, which softens repetitive negative thinking
• When you direct your energy towards your senses, you interrupt the spiral of anxious and/or intrusive thoughts and guide your mind back to the present
• This sensory engagement sends a message of safety to your nervous system, activating the parasympathetic system, leading to low heart rate, steady breathing, and reduced flow of stress hormones

TECHNIQUE #4: Walking Meditation

Find a quiet space where you can walk back and forth or go outside. Before you start moving, stand still first and notice your feet on the ground, and also take a couple deep breaths. After you do this, begin walking at a natural pace. While walking, notice each sensation of the movements you make—lifting your foot, moving it forward, placing it on the ground, and moving forward. If you feel comfortable, try syncing your walking movements with your breath. 

• The physical sensation of walking helps people feel grounded in the present moment
• Mindful walking in nature is a good way to maintain mindful practices and further improve psychological functioning.
• A randomized trial with 66 participants who either walked, meditated, or sat quietly for 10 minutes found that meditation and walking reduced fatigue 
• Seven consecutive walking sessions outdoors were effective in improving sleep quality and mood among university students
• Walking outdoors is an effective way young adults to deal with their sleep problems and mood disturbances

TECHNIQUE #5: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Programs

This technique is a bit more expensive. You do generally sign up for a separate program. If you are interested, feel free to research further. If you think a more structured program would benefit you, then go ahead and try it out. 

• Findings from a study indicated that MBSR programs reduce stress levels. Promotes mental health recovery, improves coping mechanisms, and has a positive impact on various aspects of life.
• MBSR was also found to increase levels of mindfulness and self-compassion.
• MBSR intervention led to a profound reduction in negative emotional states

TECHNIQUE #6: Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM)

Find a quiet space and bring your attention inward. Repeat kind phrases to yourself silently or out loud. It doesn’t have to be a specific type of phrase; just make sure you are nice to yourself. When you feel ready, extend those kind phrases to other people. Imagine that person in your mind and offer them the same kind wishes. Next, extend the wishes to a neutral person, then extend the wishes to a difficult person. Someone who irritates you a lot. 

• Literature suggests that LKM is associated with an increase in positive effect and a decrease in negative effect
• The practice of LKM led to a wide range of positive emotions in people’s daily lives, including love, joy, gratitude, contentment, hope, pride, interest, amusement, and awe. 
• Over the course of 9 weeks, they were linked to increases in mindful attention, self-acceptance, positive relationships with others, and good physical health.

These are only some of the science-backed techniques I found to help you stay present. I’m sure there are endless options you could experiment with. Whatever technique works for someone else may not work for you. Take the time to research beyond my article; there is an endless amount of resources out there. Hopefully after reading what I have researched, you feel motivated to start practicing staying present in the moment.