Have you ever experienced something amazing but when you look back, it’s hard to remember how awesome it was? If you have experienced this before, you know how disappointing it is to look back and only be able to remember because someone took pictures. Thankfully, you can prevent that from happening by learning to be more mindful and present in the moment.
Get Rid of Distractions
Each experience can be enjoyed (or not) without adding all kinds of distractions to it. Whether you’re watching TV with your kids, preparing dinner, or walking in nature, you’re not going to get as much out if you try to multitask. The buzz of your phone and the noise around you can make it difficult to focus on the moment. Identify and eliminate distractions for each activity you want to truly experience.
Celebrate Every Joy
If you wake up, walk outside, and smell the coming rain, celebrate that. Take a moment to really breathe it all in and feel how it makes you feel and enjoy it. Revel in it so that you never forget how you felt at that moment.
Check-in with Your Inner Self
Sometimes it’s easy to get distracted, even if you cut out the usual causes. If you want to ensure that you remember everything about the event, check-in with yourself by naming the moment. Note what you hear, see, smell, and feel. The key here is to make the experience more memorable by envisioning the event in your mind’s eye. If this is too tough, try looking at things from another person’s perspective.
Practice Active Listening
One time that people often find themselves not in the moment and not present, believe it or not, is when they’re engaged in conversation. One reason has to do with the desire not to appear dumb and worrying about what you’re going to say. Instead, just listen. Don’t think about what you’re going to say to respond, only seek to hear what they’re saying and understand it.
Pay Attention to Your Body
One way to be present is to always pay close attention to the signals your body is giving you. If you’re tired, sick, hungry, or not in good form it can be hard to be present. Pay close attention to what you need so that you can provide it.
Name Your Feelings
When you have feelings during any event in your life, name them, claim them, and fully experience them. Every emotion you feel is right. It doesn’t mean you have to act on the feelings, just simply acknowledge that this is how you feel in this moment.
Keep a Journal
To ensure that you remember the experiences you’re having, including the feelings, take some time each night or when you have a minute to write down how you felt, and what it was like.
Breathe
Check-in with yourself during high-stress events, good or bad, to ensure that you are breathing correctly. Shockingly, something that we do unconsciously can be a problem, but stress can cause you to hold your breath.
If you focus on being more present in your life, you’ll experience a lot more satisfaction, happiness, and joy. The main reason is that you are genuinely feeling your feelings about what you’re experiencing which is going to help you remember it more. Life is for living, why go through it numbly without experiencing all it has to offer? Make it memorable.