Following on from my reflections of life in the van, I have figured some ways to be and things to do which have allowed me to tap into satisfaction and contentment in the present moment. 

Incorporating these habits over the past few years has significantly benefitted my mental, physical and emotional health.

1. Feeling into my body and following my breath

The first and most important way I have built a practice of presence in my life is to be ‘in’ my body rather than my in mind, as much as I can. 

Learning to be ‘in’ my body was an unusual concept for someone who had become de-sensitised to their body as a result of neglecting their own needs for the majority of their life. Coming of age at the height of technology, I found myself as a tool to devices rather than my phone and computer aiding my life.

Re-remebering how to connect with my body allowed me to establish a stronger work life balance and it significantly improved my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. I reconnected with my body first in psychotherapy and later from developing presence as a practice through breathwork, yoga and meditation.

Connecting with my body has increased my self-esteem and confidence as well as my self-awareness and ability to manage stress.

Whilst it may initially seem like an abstract concept, learning to be present in my body has helped to reduce my anxiety by ‘being with it’ rather than fearing it. Breathing through any sensations which accompany anxious thoughts has slowed the speed of them, allowing them to pass as well as reducing the physical symptoms and pain. 

How I shift my focus to the body:

Reconnecting with my body has meant instructing my mind to focus upon how my body is feeling and noticing what sensations are arising. 

You can do this at any time or any place to tap into the present moment and be with your body. The more you practice, the easier it becomes. 

It can be done whilst lay down, sat down or during gentle physical activity such as walking or yoga. 

You don’t necessarily need to follow a specific breathwork technique. We are breathing every moment we are alive. So for now, follow and notice your natural breath and remain curious of the sensations in your body. 

Can you notice how your head feels?

Can you notice how your toes feel?

Can you notice how your shoulders feel?

In drawing your attention to these or other areas of your body, does it feel like anything?

Does it feel heavy, tingly or fuzzy? Does it have a colour? 

Can you notice any tightness or tension you feel you might be holding on to?

There is no right or wrong way: simply to notice is to be present, to observe. 

It is in observing our thoughts, our bodily sensations and our feelings that we realise, we are not our mind, not our body nor our emotions. This is where the power is!

‘Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.’ – Eckhart Tolle

It may be that at first you begin to simply notice these sensations and remain present with them. Later on with practice, you can administer your own self-care by first checking in with how your body feels and then using this information to navigate which tools to use to soothe yourself that day. 

If you’d like to dig deeper into this, you can read a Muija mindfulness exercise which focuses on remaining present in the body whilst diving into banishing the inner critic.

2. Journalling

As someone who has been labelled as an ‘overthinker’ in the past with a busy mind that “just won’t stop”, expelling my thoughts onto paper has significantly helped in reducing feelings of overwhelm and anxiety. 

Using journalling as a daily practice for the past 18 months has resulted in one of the most positive and transformational years of my life so far.

Having an open dialogue with myself in the form of my journal, has been such a cathartic release for me as well as helping to get to know myself better. 

Whilst it may seem counterproductive to do something such as writing in order to gain presence, journalling has allowed me to somewhat empty my mind so I can get on with being ‘in’ my day. The busier my mind, the more I write that day to create space for a beautiful day.

I first picked up this habit from an online trend of ‘morning pages’, I later found rhyme and reason for this ritual within Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way (which I highly recommend). 

There are countless benefits to writing upon first waking up, including removing creative blocks and silencing your inner critic.

Taking stock of my day and mind in writing as I awake and just before I go to sleep, works to clear my mind and improving my quality of sleep and relationships.  

The pages of my journal are a sacred place for me to offload my thoughts. There is no structure or prompts, I simply write whatever thoughts are passing through my mind. 

The only rule is that I don’t re-read my entries. This allows me to provide a safe and non-judgemental space to empty my mind.

Regular journalling has also helped to reduce my thoughts about ‘what will be’ or ‘what could have been’ so I can focus on my life in the present. 

By making space to voice my worries and doubts by journalling, I have learnt over time how to validate my own emotions, self-soothe and reassure myself. 

Structuring my thoughts daily in a journal has consistently gifted me with clarity and helped me to avoid procrastination. I now make lists of things I want to remember to do and schedule them in my calendar so this becomes autonomous. 

It sometimes takes the form of writing physically with a pen, typing on my laptop or phone, or speaking aloud in a voice note. You don’t need to go out and buy a specific journal to do this. You can make notes on your phone or scrap paper.

The key is to get your thoughts out of you and make it the paper’s problem!

If this is new to you, you could set a 3 minute timer to blurt out what is filling your mind before carrying on with your day. Notice how you feel before and after – I tend to journal until I feel lighter and base how long I write for on how I feel. This will come with practice! 

What are you waiting for? 

Get journalling! 

3. Segment and narrate your life

When I feel somewhat disconnected and not particularly mindful (usually in times of stress), it helps me to imagine a voice over similar to that on Channel 4’s Come Dine with Me narrating my life…

‘And after a gruelling day at the office, Chloe decides 8pm on a Wednesday is a brilliant time to bake some banana bread to soothe her soul.’ 

It’s both entertaining to me and also allows me to bring an awareness to how I begin each segment of my day. 

‘Segment intending’ is a phrase I first encountered in Esther and Jerry Hicks’ book, Ask and It Is Given. Each part of our day when we switch to doing or being something different is a separate segment. For example: getting into your car, walking into a building, sitting down, going to get a drink, arriving home, eating and brushing your teeth are all new segments.

Each segment in our life is a new beginning. a chance to begin again and restart!

It is with segment intending that I am able to consciously monitor my perspective and the narrative of my life. The stories we tell ourselves and our perception are both in our realm of control.

Just because the first few hours of my day may start off not as I’d like, doesn’t mean it has to rule my entire day.

I intend to begin a new segment with a clean slate, being aware of my words and how I speak of myself, others and my day.

You can skip to 6:00:13 of this YouTube video to hear more on segment intending. 

How does the next segment of your day look like for you?

4. Mono-tasking! Doing one thing at a time

It can sometimes be difficult to be present with so much going on. Scheduling time in your diary can help to know that you have time for everything you want so you can focus on one task at a time.  

Gone are the days I wake up and grab a coffee at the same time as scrolling social media and the news whilst listening to the radio and getting ready for work.

Taking it one step at a time has significantly reduced the time I spend on autopilot.

I sit and enjoy my coffee or tea before going on to do something else. Taking these baby steps to slow down and devote my focus and attention to one thing at a time – particularly at the beginning of my day, has helped my thoughts run at a much slower pace and it often sets a nice tone for the rest of the day. 

So when I say to take it one moment at a time, I mean doing one thing at a time. 

Become fascinated with the ‘mundane’. 

No, really. 

Wash up without music on once in a while rather than using the dishwasher and tune into how it feels to be in the soapy suds or enjoy a long hot bath. Notice the temperature of the water, the softness of the sponge, the sounds of the suds popping, the look and feel of the bubbles. 

Your undivided attention is so special – giving it intentionally has allowed me to not only increase my efficiency and productivity, but my days have become much more memorable and enjoyable as a result. 

What is one thing you will give your undivided attention to, to savour and enjoy?

5. Close your eyes and ‘be’ with your… self – you

I have built a significant resilience to change and challenge over the course of my life and as a result I have many tools in my toolkit. Often we know what we could be doing however it may escape us immediately in the present moment or we don’t necessarily want to do the things which we know help us to feel better. So when all else fails, I come back to this. 

I sit down, close my eyes, focus on my breath and the rise and fall of my chest and just be.

Breathe.

‘The past has no power over the present moment.’ – Eckhart Tolle

It is incredible how soothing the present moment can be. I have found it most comforting to come back to my senses and what is around me to help anchor into what is happening now and to distinguish from anxiety and stress (which is often thoughts of events which are yet to transpire). So, right now…

What can you see?

What can you hear?

What can you smell?

What can you taste?

What can you touch?

For as long as you are here right now. You are safe. You are loved. You are okay. Breathe deeply into the space of safety. 

It may be uncomfortable or feel unusual if you’ve not done any type of conscious breathwork before. You may wish to begin with guided meditations which focus on practising following your breath as you breathe naturally. You can find many free videos on YouTube for as short as 5-10 minutes. 

For anyone who can be tormented by the past in bouts of depression or suffering with panic attacks, I have personally found the following YouTube video incredibly helpful. It mimics a similar dialogue I would have received from my therapist in particularly challenging sessions to ground me in the present moment. It’s particularly useful if feeling triggered from my experience. 

Which of these practices do you already have in your life? Are there any you will begin to practise now? 

Intention setting – bringing presence to your self care:

It may be that you aren’t in a place to begin incorporating new routines and whilst the above tips have helped me, you may benefit from something different. Aside from these specific habits, simply setting an intention of presence whilst doing something I enjoy, has benefitted me significantly.

Applying my favourite face mask for example, allows me to become somewhat automatically present with very little effort. As well as giving myself 20 minutes to relax, I intend to notice how it feels to have it on and remain curious in identifying which senses are being stimulated. It smells like peppermint, is green in colour, it has a coffee-like texture and feels cool to apply so there is lots going on and of course, bonus points for wearing it in the bath. #mindfulness 🙂

Can you think of any potential or existing self-care practices which evoke as many as your senses as possible bringing you somewhat automatically into the present moment? 

You can look more into the advantages of deepening the connection within your body, morning pages and journaling, segment intending, single tasking and meditation if you wish, as they extend much beyond what I have touched on. 

Stay posted and most up to date with us on Instagram by following @muijamag and turning on notifications. And remember: 

You are not your mind. You are not your thoughts. You are not your body. You are not your feelings. You are the conscious observer of such. Look up from your phone or computer screen and be in ‘the now’, it’s waiting for you to notice it.