How To Stop Worrying And Start Living – 5 Tips To Become Free

By
Drew Canole

Reality is incredible. Sometimes it is easy to get comfortable and lose sight of the wonders of nature or even our own body. When we turn into adults, a lot of us get so serious. We pass by fields of flowers or under century old trees and don’t give them a second thought. We don’t think about our cells or how they blueprint the universe.

I love going on leisure walks with small children. Everything is new and beautiful to them. They love to collect leaves, sticks, flowers, rocks… anything to remind them of their adventures. They live for the moment. They live for the wind on their face and the grass under their feet. They live for the lizard scampering across the sidewalk.

When we become adults we accept a mantle of responsibility and assume it means we can’t have as much fun. We think a lot. We worry. We question. We doubt. And no longer notice the lizard on the sidewalk.

When we become more in tune with reality, when we let ourselves live 100% in the now, we will find a happiness and peace that can be found no other way.

5 Ways To Pull Yourself Into The Moment and Become Free Again

1) Zone In

What do you do that pulls away your mind from the present? Most people watch movies, TV shows, scroll through social media, read books, or day dream. Although these things may not be bad, they put you in a passive state of mind where the present slowly slips by unnoticed. They put your concentration on something other than the moment. Often, they are a form of escape.

Don’t zone out, zone in. Take an hour every day to turn off all electronics and go for a walk. Pick a day or more a week where the TV stays off. Limit your time on social media. If it is too hard to pull away from things like Facebook, deactivate it for a few weeks until the urge to constantly check it goes away and you become more focused. Spend more time on hobbies and things that make you happy and pull you into the now.

2) Express gratitude daily

Often our thoughts are pulled to the past or future because of things we want but don’t currently have. Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways I know to alleviate melancholy, boost your spirits, fill you with light and give you connection to the present. If you are feeling grateful, you are living in the present!

Some of you may have seen my videos where I talk about my nightly gratitude ritual. I have a bracelet or a mala that has several beads on it. I hold it in my hand and with each bead I name something that I am grateful for. I will go through every single bead, sometimes twice if I’ve had a tough day.

I highly recommend finding something similar that works for you that you can use daily. It will change your heart and thus, change your life and the lives of those around you.

3) Do one thing at a time

As the Zen Proverb says, “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” Likewise when you are talking with someone, zone in and talk to them. Put the phone out of sight and give them your full attention. When you are eating, or in other words nourishing your body, focus on eating. When you are pouring water, just pour the water. We are in a fast-paced world my friends, where people are obsessed with progress and accomplishment and how far you can get in a day. This leads to a lot of multitasking and it is easy to lose the moment. When you are doing something, give it 100%. That includes people.

4) Surrender to the flow  

Planning is great. It is important to set goals and have an idea of what you want to get done in a day, a week, or a year. But never let these plans get in the way of opportunity and unexpected surprises. Surrender doesn’t mean ‘giving up’. Surrender means you make a conscious decision to release control of HOW your desires will come to pass.

The Universe, God, the Infinite… have much bigger plans than you do. Surrender and you will find freedom. Your life will become full of the most amazing experiences and you will feel what it is like to fly with the wind or roll with the waves.

This surrender does not mean surrendering to other people. It does not mean succumbing to abuse or the cruelty of others. Quite the opposite, it is surrendering to the highest good; yours and that of those around you. In the process you will not become the victim but the victor.

5) Savor the moment

To savor means “to taste and enjoy it completely”. When we savor life, we slow down. We don’t rush to the next thing. We pay close attention and give space only for what we are experiencing right now.

Learning to savor life is a skill and something to be practiced. Start with something simple, like savoring your food. Don’t scarf it down, instead let it sit in your mouth for a moment. Savor each unique flavor and let it fill your senses. When you swallow, feel the food enter your system. Think about the hands that grew and prepared the food. Feel gratitude for the nourishment.

There is no moment where the principle of savoring cannot be applied. Even during conflict, even when you’re alone with nothing to do, even when you are driving a car or sitting at a desk. Savoring will bring you into the present and thus in touch with the wonder of reality.

Drew Canole
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