Present state awareness is the ability to focus fully on how you feel in this moment. It’s the opportunity to check in with your senses and also drop your attachment to them. By developing this skill, you can more easily notice the sensations a situation elicits within you and catch yourself before letting thoughts take over.
This blog idea came to me at this gym this morning. I was trying to come up with some “easy” ways to practice presence. A lot of the time people bring up meditation, but I wanted quicker, everyday methods. I realized you don’t have to sit and meditate in order to practice mindfulness and presence. The practice to me is bringing an act to your attention, not performing it habitually, then seeing how you react and feel.
The first method I tried out was dishes. I wash dishes every day and never considered a need to alter methods or think about the task more deeply. As I was filling the sink with soap and water, I decided to let the water flow without my involvement. Typically, I move the faucet around to distribute the bubbles evenly, but this time I stopped myself. I just watched.
I had thoughts of wanting to change the flow. There were feelings of needing to involve myself. I had similar anxiety-driven tightness in my chest as a single mound of bubbles formed under the faucet but not throughout the sink. But as I continued to watch, I tried my best to do just that – watch.
This is a strange example, but it’s an everyday occurrence for me and a quick way to practice presence and removing my thoughts from the event. I was telling myself to get involved, but I didn’t act on it. I believed my involvement would help the process, but I let it play out naturally. A simple act of filling the sink focused my attention and lead to my noticing sensations but not letting them take over.
Another daily occurrence is phone usage. No matter what I’m doing, there comes the urge to pick up my phone and check it for new notifications. To practice presence I simply don’t pick it up. Instead, I sit with the thoughts and sensations that initial urge brings about. There’s a weird feeling when you go against what your brain wants to do. For me it’s a heavy feeling in my chest and thoughts like “I wonder if anyone texted me.” But you quickly realize the urge was out of boredom. You don’t acually need to check your phone, especially not as often as you do. So next time you want to pick it up, don’t.
Third is hearing a song but not singing. If I’m at the gym, I lip sync songs I love and if I’m home alone, I sing them aloud. So today I played a favorite song but just listened. There was another strange feeling of going against my typical habit, but I just sat with it and tried listening. There was still that attachment to the song as I repeated the lyrics in my head, but I tried removing that too. It was an interesting experience in removing myself and my thoughts from what was happening.
I don’t know if these examples will resonate with you like they do me, but I wanted to share. There are instances in your everyday life when you can stop acting habitually and emotionally then try just being there instead. You don’t always have to be involved, you don’t have to act on urges, you don’t have to attach your ego. Find ways to practice presence in your own life. Learn to sit with the thoughts and sensations instead of doing what you always do.
February 27, 2023
