With the start of September here and Labor Day having just passed, I kept noticing the past bunch of days how much people love to jump ahead and say sayonara to summer before August is even over. Everyone seems to be moving on to pumpkins and Halloween already!
Don’t get me wrong, I get it. I know that for many, Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer – back to school, pack up the beach gear until next year. But in reality, the summer season lasts for most of the month. In the Northeastern U.S. where I grew up, September is one the best months weather-wise. Actually, as everyone is getting ready to pull out their Uggs and sweaters, today was the hottest day of the summer in Jersey. So what’s one of the reasons why everyone has been saying RIP to summertime?
Because us humans love to get ahead of ourselves! We pretty much all do it, and I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with planning and looking forward to things – actually I love to do so! – but the hype around the changing of seasons has got me thinking a lot about just how much we think about the future, rather than focusing on the now. I believe that living in the present and practicing more mindfulness can help us lead happier lives.
So exactly what is mindfulness? It’s focusing your awareness on the present moment that you are experiencing at this very second. It’s pausing to acknowledge the breeze in your hair, to appreciate the people you’re spending the moment with, to enjoy that bite of food or sip of wine. The power of now puts thing in a different perspective, so that rather than shifting gears and skipping ahead to Halloween, you recognize what’s going on right now before your very eyes.
To achieve this state of now, I like to just take a few moments to pause and really experience whatever it is I’m doing/watching/feeling. One way I frequently practice mindfulness is when I’m on walks with my dog. My mind will be going a mile a minute – I’m thinking about my to-do list, what time I have to jump in the shower in order to be ready on time for x, y & z, and what I’m going to make for dinner.
But then I stop myself. I look up at the sky, I take a deep breath, and I remember to enjoy the fresh air and the sunshine. It might sound a little “hippie dippy” as I like to call it, but I know for a fact that mindfulness makes me feel more grateful and content with life.
[Side note: How could I possibly resist including the above photo in this post? 😉 ]
Recently I was watching Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday show, and the guest was this interesting guy named Jack Kornfield, a Buddhist monk who spreads the teachings of Buddhism to Westerners. He spoke a lot about mindfulness and general teachings of Buddhism that I think are words of wisdom for every person in this world. I jotted down some things he said to share with you guys:
- “It’s worth it to take that time to quiet your mind, explore your heart and intentions. Look for moments in the day to listen to yourself.”
- “Compassion and forgiveness: We can’t live without it, we’d be lost. Free yourself from the past by simply forgiving.”
- “It’s your birthright to live with joy. Turn your heart towards what is good, see the good in one another.”
- “We as human beings have this amazing capacity to be reborn at breakfast every day, and say, ‘This is a new day. Who will I be?'”
Who did you decide to be when you woke up this morning?
We’re always so busy planning, that sometimes we forget to really live. I challenge you to stop a few times today and ask yourself…
What am I grateful for right now?
What’s making me happy in this moment?
How can I be more present?
This is so crazy I just wrote about this! I’ve been working on mindfullness and it’s made a HUGE difference in my life. Just being present with your emotions, not trying to control/resist them. A good example of this: when I’m having a panic attack I sit back and verbally say out loud what’s going on around me. So if I’m driving I’ll say, there’s a Panera on the corner, oh look, a tree. Haha it sounds so dumb but it reminds me that I’m in a present moment and shouldn’t be panicking about the past or future. Also, I used to be one of those people who couldn’t listen to music when I’m going through a hard time because I thought it would send me into more sadness. But I’ve started listening to music again even if it makes me sad, because I can’t avoid that emotion. Just because it makes me reminisce doesn’t mean I’m going to break down. More often than not I’m sad for a few seconds and then I realize it’s just music. It’s such a powerful feeling to practice mindfulness! Thanks so much for talking about it. It really has made a huge difference in my life lately!
I’m glad to hear that you’re really embracing mindfulness! It sounds like it’s really helping you – as it does for me during any hard times. So true, sometimes it’s easier if you just let yourself feel the emotion you’re feeling. It helps me to move forward from it more quickly if I’m feeling sad/upset/angry etc.
Great post!! This was a perfect reminder for me to be more present. Thank you for writing it!
I’m glad I could be a reminder to ya! 🙂
Great reminders!
Love this post, Nicole. Always great to be reminded of this stuff. So easy to get caught up and forget. Thank you!
Thanks for reading, Robin!
Love this post! I can’t even tell you how much it bothers me that people start thinking about Halloween at the end of August! It’s too soon. I like to savor my seasons (except for winter…get that over with asap!). I love the idea of taking a breath and focusing on what you are doing!
“Savor” is a good word to describe mindfulness! I hear ya, winter gets old realllll quick for me too.