NSA Carolinas: Some Takeaways

What Happens When We Don’t Live in the Present Moment?

When we Live in the Past:

Our time and energy are taken up with thoughts & feelings of:

Old Anger

Grudges

Regret

Resentment

Feelings of Guilt

Shower Inventory: Know Your Parts!

We’re often soooo busy running from place to place, task to task, person to person, (crisis to crisis?), that we forget to check in with ourselves to see how we’re doing. This simple self-evaluation done once a week in the shower (more often might become stressful) keeps us in touch with how we really are thinking and feeling. I’ll bet many of your answers will surprise you!

1. “Divide” yourself into 4 parts:

Body, Mind, Heart, & Soul (True Self / Quiet Core)

2. Swiftly rate each one- 1-10 -how you’re feeling that day, at that moment. Don’t overthink and remember… each day, each category might change its meaning for example:

Body could mean: “Do I feel fat? Bloated? Hungry? Tired? Healthy? Strong? Young? Old? (And don’t underestimate any achievement: Feeling tired and sore because you went to the gym yesterday is not the same as feeling tired and sore because you stayed up drinking last night and fell out of bed.)

Mind: “Am I feeling calm? in charge? frazzled?”

Heart: It could be romantic love or a sibling or child. Every day it can change. “Am I feeling loved? Adored? Rejected? Neglected?”

Soul / True Self / Quiet Core: “Is this part of me being nourished? Do I feel fulfilled in my passion? Have I felt kindness or generosity today?”


When we Live in the Future:

Our time and energy are taken up with thoughts & feelings of:

Worry

“What If” thinking

Wild Expectations


So, What “Lives” in the Present Moment?

The sound of laughter, the crunch of a salty potato chip in our mouth, the feel of holding someone’s hand, a soft whisper, a warm breeze, our favorite song playing in a store…

Do we just want to live in the present moment? NOOOOO! We want to expand, flourish and revel in it!

And a shower is an ideal place to do this self-inventory because:

  1. It’s one of the few places we can be totally alone

  2. The sound and feel of the shower is calming and therapeutic

  3. The sound of the shower drowns out our chatter so we can feel we can speak aloud more freely

  4. We are not encumbered by any type of clothing so our evaluations are not influenced by any of our daily roles: no uniform, heels, yoga pants, business suits— It’s just us talking to us.

Nix It… Or Fix It:

For every thing of any size that happens to us that we perceive as bad or negative, we always have the same 2 choices:

NIX IT or FIX IT

Nix It: Is this something that I can’t change or do anything about? Is it something dumb that I can just say, immediately, right now: “You know What? Who cares? I’m moving on.”

OR

Fix It: Is this something that I need to take action? What is the step or several steps that will start me on the path to remedy the situation— solving the problem— so that I can then finally say: “You Know What? Who cares? I’m moving on”?


Are You a “Did I Just-er?”

Do you frequently mumble to yourself?:

“Where did I just leave my keys?”

“Did I just take my vitamin?”

“Why did I just come into this room?”

We “did I just?” when we are not mentally present.

Our minds were some place else when we put down those keys, took that vitamin, or walked into that room.

Non-Meditation Meditations:

So many chores, tasks, etc we do in a day offer opportunities to quiet our minds if only we choose to take them up on their generous offer:

Any Activity or Task that:

  1. Requires a bit of concentration but not so much that we stress out.

  2. Keeps some part of our body moving (not just our eyes or thumbs—so not reading, scrolling, or texting)

  3. Has a clear beginning, middle, and end each time we do it

  4. Gives us some sense of completion or satisfaction each time we finish it.

Nearly all of our household chores qualify:

Laundry, dog walking, washing dishes, vacuuming, sweeping.

Simply— Gently shift your focus from what’s in your mind—the overthinking, overanalyzing, self-critical—to what’s right in front you, right here, right now: Engage the 5 senses: What do you see, hear, taste, feel, smell? Get detailed! And just like during meditation, when your mind drifts (which it will), just gently re-direct it back to your 5 senses.