Learning to enjoy the present

The pace of life is a lot faster today than in previous generations and it's easy to spend too much time mulling over past mistakes or worrying about the future. We live in a society which strives for success but spends little time considering what true success means. Instead we may feel under a constant pressure to have it all and yet find our achievements strangely unfulfilling.

The art of happiness is taking time to enjoy what we already have. The simple pleasures of life which have fed the minds and pens of poets for millennia are there for us to enjoy - clouds scudding across the sky, dandelion seeds drifting in the breeze, or for the less bucolic, the way condensation forms on a cold bottle of beer.

Living in the present is a skill to be learned and practised. 

Learning to relax - the quickest way to slow down is to alter our breathing. When we're stressed adrenalin kicks in and our breathing becomes fast and shallow to supply greater amounts of oxygen to our muscles and enabling us to flee from pursuing tigers. Conversely when we're relaxed we breathe slowly and deeply allowing our blood to take oxygen and nutrients to our digestive system and cells around the body for maintenance and repair.  Fortunately our breathing is something we can consciously control and by focussing on breathing deeply we can override our body's stress response and send the opposite message - that everything is okay and there is no tiger! Simply take a few deep breaths to create a sense of calm. You can count to 4 (or higher) as your breathe in, hold your breath for a few more seconds and then breath out as fully as you can. Repeating the process at least 3 times, preferably more, will create a noticeable difference in your stress levels. 

​Being mindful - mindfulness is a way of being in world and essentially means increasing your awareness of the present. Living in the present is so incredibly good for both our health and our relationships. As we focus on the present we automatically become more relaxed as we let go of our worries about the future and the past, and instead become aware of the world around us - perhaps noticing a smile from a passer by or the intricacy of a spider's web on a frosty morning. Our relationships improve as we take the time to listen, understand and respond in a more thoughtful manner. Introducing mindfulness into our lives can be simple - just start with ten minutes of doing nothing and I mean nothing! No phone, no book, no TV, no conversation, just become aware of the world around you. If you find that too hard then try 5 minutes, if it's easy then build these mindful moments into your day and see the change it makes.

Improving sleep - we spend around a third of our lives asleep and the quality of that sleep has an enormous impact of the quality of the other two thirds of our lives yet most of us put little effort into getting the best sleep possible. Unfortunately two of our biggest addictions adversely effect sleep - technology and caffeine. We don't need a scientist to tell us that consuming caffeinated drinks in the evening and playing games or using social media before we go to bed is going to make us alert and that means a poor night's sleep. Instead a long soak in the bath, gentle music, or a good book with a relaxing essential oil such as Lavender in a diffuser is much more likely to have you bouncing out of bed in the morning!